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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25235227">Lost Memories - Main Story</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigercry/pseuds/tigercry'>tigercry</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Lost Memories - Collection [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sword Art Online (Anime &amp; Manga), ソードアート・オンライン - 川原礫 | Sword Art Online - Kawahara Reki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Amnesia, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Slow Build, pulls on heartstrings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:27:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,857</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25235227</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigercry/pseuds/tigercry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Memories are to be held close to the heart and soul, if they are taken away the heart still remembers - Defeating the floor one-hundred boss and logging out was supposed to be the end of the chaos created by the hijacked game Sword Art Online. However... little did the survivors of SAO know that their lives were about to go from chaotic to drastically different. (Sci-Fi Amnesia AU)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Argo (Sword Art Online) &amp; Original Character(s), Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito/Yuuki Asuna | Asuna, rika - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Lost Memories - Collection [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1828150</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Home is Where the Heart is</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Memories are precious. No matter what life throws at you do your best to protect them and hold them close.<br/>However, when they're taken away don't despair, rather search for them to your best ability and what you see may surprise you.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s been a year since it all ended,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kirito took a deep inhale of the fresh air, tasting the lack of bitter city pollution in the suburb air around him. His muscles expressed their relief in escaping the cramped confines of the van he had been in for the past hour and a half with his sister Sugu and other people he hadn’t really bothered to have gotten the names of. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Besides Klein anyway, the redhead had been rather chatty with him in particular, saying that his attitude reminded him of someone inside the game. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not that that was in any way possible. Everyone that had been trapped in that horrid game for three years had no memories of the experience, it was just a massive blank space of three years of their memories with nothing more than the echoes of their lingering emotions during the experience. Although for Kirito...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There wasn’t just a hole in his memories. Ever since he had woken up from SAO there was this hole of sorts in his heart. With excruciating pain for the first few months after waking up of grief, like he had lost someone that meant more to him that even his sister Sugu had. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sugu… who had been there every day from the moment he had woken up from the three-month adventure that he didn’t remember anything about either after SAO. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on Kazuto!” Sugu’s voice pierced the humming mess that consisted of the SAO survivor’s mind, gently pulling him back to reality and away from his musing thoughts and prodding of the blank space where his memories were missing. “We should get checked in and everything right big brother?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Kirito spoke with a reluctant sigh, “we probably should huh Sugu?” Kirito’s dark silver eyes gazed up at the campus style set of buildings. Where he knew he wouldn’t be leaving for a long time if what Kikouka had told him was true. Apparently in the game he had been one of the central players to beat the game and was nicknamed the “Black Swordsman” in favor off all the black he wore along with his beater status. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were some details he remembered, like how he had taken upon himself the title beater to protect other beta-testers and some of his own abilities like his level one fishing skill and maxed one handed sword skill. However, beyond that his memory was just blank. Even though he frequently woke up in the middle of the night with a yell he hardly recognized as his own and tears marking his face with glistening trails, and other nights where he slept all the way through the night but found himself hugging all of his blankets as if he was cuddling something or </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone.</span>
  </em>
  <span> No matter what he tried, though he couldn’t remember what he had been dreaming about or having a nightmare about other than it involved SAO. Which he was still haunted by a year after his escape from the game and six months after his escape from another game.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Someone jogging past the entrance at an almost abnormally fast pace caught his attention and his onyx colored eyes </span>
  <b>
    <em>(a dark silver or gray)</em>
  </b>
  <span> focused on them in an instant, curiosity pulling his attention and something tugging at the recesses of his mind keeping it there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The person was a girl about his age, who had long strawberry blonde hair with a faint ginger tint to it almost like caramel and fair skin. She was clothed in a mostly white runner’s  dry-fit shirt with the shoulders cut out with thick almost ribbon like ‘x’ shaped red sleeves, dark grey runners shorts with red hems and edges, and red and white runners shoes. Her long hair was tied up into a long ponytail with a slim braid disappearing into the strands of the ponytail, allowing the thin strips of sky blue in her braid and ponytail to be visible and bluetooth earbuds hung around her neck with the actual earbud tucked into her delicate ears. Her expression was calm, her femine features from her button nose to her thin eyebrows showing a calm peace. However beneath that calm peace in her expression Kirito could sense an aura of power and leadership emanating from her softly curved form. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A girl with pink hair and eyes, a feature displaying her SAO enhancements, managed to catch up to the other girl, her pink eyes darting curiously over to Kirito’s curious form.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kirito felt his cheeks burn at the other girl’s obvious catching him in the act of staring at her friend, but couldn’t look away from the caramel haired girl. Something was telling him to wait and keep looking at her. Not matter how red his face got.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kirito watched as the pink haired girl managed to keep up with the other girl, running  to keep up with the other girl’s jogging pace and longer legs. She prodded the caramel haired girl’s shoulder and he watched as the mentioned girl slowed to a stop and removed her earbuds from her ears, her mouth moving as she spoke to the other girl outside of earshot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kirito felt his ears burn as well as the caramel haired girl blinked and then turned toward him, one hand holding one of her earbuds with a puzzled and curious look in her eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kirito had even seen eyes as beautiful as the ones belonging to her. Her eyes were hazel, a soft brown that almost matched her hair, but as he looked at her her eyes adopted a bluish hue. A blue that seemed to give off a strange mythical sense.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kirito’s hand instinctively went to the hair at the back of his head that permanently stuck up and defied physics as if he had been touched by magic. Kikouka had told him that survivors of the second game would have abnormalities that others wouldn’t, such as his cowlick that couldn’t be moved or styled, so the way her eye color shifted back to a soft hazel with a thin ring of blue made him wonder. Was she one of them? Was she one of the few survivors like him and his sister that were “touched with magic?” Giving him his cowlick and causing his irises to glow in the dark and Sugu’s now permanently green eyes? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The caramel haired girl kept eye contact with him for a few more moments, and Kirito knew even if she was an ALO survivor there was another reason for him being drawn to her like that. And it likely had to do with the aching in his heart, some kind of aching longing he didn’t understand. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What’s going on?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He dimly wondered, finding himself unable to break the near staring contest going on between them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t… I just met her… right? Then why do I feel like this and why is my brain screaming at me to go to her?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girl looked slightly confused too, those intense eyes a whirlwind of confusion like even she wasn’t sure what was going on. So they remained frozen, Kirito’s mind working a million miles a minute.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Why do I feel drawn to her? Like I’ve been waiting forever to find her again? Wait, again? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kirito blinked and found himself taking a step toward her, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I haven’t met her before, have I? Or maybe I have… but where?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kazuto?” Sugu’s light touch on his arm broke the spell. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kirito instantly turned back to his sister and the caramel haired girl turned back toward her friend, a visibly confused and slightly scared expression on her delicate face. “What? Sorry Sugu,” he hastily apologized and forced himself to focus on his sister. Taking both suitcases from her and carrying them with ease due to one of his abilities Kikouka called his STR parameter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who’s that anyway?” Sugu asked curiously, her green eyes darting toward the caramel haired girl who was now jogging away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have no idea,” Kirito said truthfully and avoided looking in the strange girl’s direction. However truthful he had said the words he couldn’t help but feel like somehow he was lying. He knew her, from where he didn’t know, but he definitely knew that girl.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t sound sure,” Sugu pointed out the wavering in his voice as she followed him toward the building, noticing the caramel haired girl’s friend jogging toward them but saying nothing about it to her brother.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve never met her IRL,” Kirito explained, choosing his words with care and reflecting over the girl’s appearance in his mind’s eye, “but maybe I have in the death games.” The question was where? Where in SAO or ALO? Where did he know her from and why did he feel so strongly for her?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sugu looked curiously after the girl’s retreating form, her stride even and almost inhumanly balanced. “Huh, I guess that could’ve happened, I wouldn’t know if she was from SAO though, I was only trapped in ALO with you. That being said…” the other Kirigaya trailed thoughtfully, “she doesn’t seem at least a little familiar.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi there!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The voice startled Kirito enough to nearly drop both suitcases. Instead he gave a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> manly yelp and looked wide-eyed at the person in front of him. It was the other girl’s friend, the pink haired girl with pink eyes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pink haired girl chuckled a offered a rather cheeky smile, “hi there, my name’s Rika. That being said I’m sure you’ll both end up knowing me as Liz, my SAO handle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ah, the two names thing. Kirito had almost forgotten that they were supposed to go by their SAO and or ALO handles while they were here, making it easier for the staff to keep track of everyone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi Liz,” Sugu greeted the other girl with a smile, “I’m Sugu, or Leafa really.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Call her Sugu,” Kirito said with a cautious smile of his own, “Leafa sounds really weird.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re so mean big brother!” Sugu puffed out her cheeks and lightly stepped on his foot, “Leafa is not that weird of an avatar name!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hate to admit it,” Liz said with a smirk, “but Sugu’s easier for me to remember with the whole ‘crazy gamer handle names.’” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kirito looked smugly at his sister before looking at the pink haired girl, words escaping his mouth without him consciously thinking about them. “Thanks Lizzzbeth-” he stopped speaking and walking aburptly, as did the other two. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, what did you call me?” Liz asked, confusion now lacing her tone along with it showing in her eyes. “And why did you say it like that?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… I don’t know why I said it like that,” Kirito stumbled over his words, eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. “It just came out like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Liz gave him a curious look, “what’s your SAO name?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kirito wet his dry lips and spoke his gamer handle in a cautious manner. “My SAO name was Kirito, or at least that’s what people tell me it was.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Liz looked oddly at him, pink eyes confused and surprised, “you don’t remember your own SAO name?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kirito fidgeted a little awkwardly, “I do but I don’t,” he explained awkwardly, “I have memory loss, more than the average player. So I don’t remember much of anything about SAO at all other than what this tells me.” He put down one of the suitcases and flicked his wrist, summoning a holographic menu and clicking his character profile before setting it to be visible to the other players. “I don’t consciously remember much of anything really SAO-wise, so I have to use this to tell me information about what my avatar and character did in the game.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Liz scanned over the information, a finger resting thoughtfully at her chin as she moved back and studied him. “You do look familiar, although for now I can’t really place where. Tell you what, I’ll ask around and look for some information and meet up with you again. After all your situation reminds me of my best friend’s.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that the girl jogging from earlier?” Sugu interjected and Kirito jumped, having forgotten his sister was standing beside him. She was currently leaning over his shoulder, peering at the menu again for the fiftieth time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yup,” Liz smiled at the pair of them, “that’s Asuna the lightning flash, my best friend and fastest person here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Asuna the lightning flash?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kirito’s eyebrows furrowed again as he thought hard, wracking his brain for anything from just the name alone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Where have I heard that before? Dammit I know it’s important!</span>
  </em>
  <span> He growled out loud in frustration, mentally zoning out of the current present and delving into the black hole that was his SAO memories. Why couldn’t he remember her? He could tell the name and person associated with it was essential to his life inside the first death game and why did he feel like he had been by her side before? That he had to be with her now?</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Reality of Nightmares</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Despite her memories being blocked, Asuna's kindness knows no bounds. Even if it's at four in the morning.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The beginning chapters are short, but bear with me ;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Something soft brushed against his lips, encouraging the dual wielding swordsman to wake up and return to his VR reality. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Kirito,” a soft voice spoke his name in a familiar and loving tone and the soft pressure against his lips disappeared as the voice piped up. “You should get up hun, before the girls come running in here to tackle you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kirito couldn’t help the reluctant groan that escaped his lips and blindly reached for the person who he could feel was on her hands and knees beside him on the bed. “I’m sleeping Asuna…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I know, but you know Yuuki, she’ll jump on you till you get up and take her out to practice,” a gentle hand carded through his messy hair as she spoke, further soothing the sleepy swordsman.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kirito’s hands found the person’s waist and he tugged them down next to him, snuggling close to the person. “Get Klein to take her and stay here with me,” he mumbled into her strawberry scented hair.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Asuna giggled and Kirito felt her arms slip around his back to rub soft circles into his shirt. “Like that would ever work you dork,” she hummed with amusement, “Yuki wants the strongest swordsman in SAO to train her, not a guild leader.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hmm… if she wanted a guild leader you’d do,” Kirito teased and felt Asuna lightly pinch the skin between his shoulder blades through his shirt. “You’re a fantastic guild leader.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“A guild leader who spends most of her time at home dealing with a six and ten aged little girls who I just happened to adopt.” Asuna threw the tease back at him and Kirito laughed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Okay so adopting Yuuki was my fault,” Kirito conceded, “but you’ve had Yui around for literal years honey.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Asuna sighed with feigned annoyance. “Oh dear, I’m just so sorry for not leaving a baby hardly a year old in the woods alone and by herself.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh come on, stop twisting my words,” Kirito complained.“You know I didn’t… mean it... like that,” Kirito trailed off, noticing the sudden lack of Asuna’s presence as he opened his eyes. “Asuna?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kirito flung off the blankets and sheets, flinging himself to his feet and looking wildly around for his young bride and partner in arms. “Asuna?!” He couldn’t help the panic beginning to rise in his voice as the light in the room dimmed, bathing the room with darker, stiff shadows and showing off Asuna’s lack of presence. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and he ran through the cabin, his feet slipping on the hardwood flooring as he raced up the stairs and toward the girls’ bedroom upstairs. “Yui? Yuuki?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Nothing. There were no traces of his and Asuna’s adopted girls beyond discards puppets and various toys laying on the ground alongside Yuuki’s obsidian purple sword.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Come on girls, this isn’t funny!” Kirito couldn’t help but exclaim, checking each room in the cabin and panicking at the less and beginning lack of their things in the cabin. “Asuna!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He couldn’t find them, Kirito leaned against the dining table, breathing hard like he had just been in a boss battle. Where could they have gone? What happened to them? To the family he and Asuna had built over three years?! </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They were nowhere to be seen.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“ASUNA!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kirito!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kirito jolted awake to water being splashed all over his face. The cold liquid hitting his face felt like a harsh slap, the liquid mixing with the tears that made his vision extremely blurry as he sat bolt upright. His chest was heaving for air as he sat there, lifting a shaking hand to his face and recognizing the sticky feeling of his body being covered in cold sweat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kaz- I mean Kirito,” Sugu’s voice pulled Kirito firmly into the reality in front of him and the boy looked up at her, disorientation in his dark eyes. Clearly confused and disorientated from the nightmare, “are you okay? You were crying in your sleep again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” Kirito’s voice shook on each word, only furthering his sister’s concern as he ran a hand over his face once and let his hand drop with a shaky breath. “I’m fine, just a nightmare.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you remember anything this time?” Sugu prodded gently and leaned over to brush her brother’s cold sweat drenched fringe from his face and eyes. “Anything about what was in the nightmare?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kirito swallowed hard, fighting the feeling of his heart beating at the hundred miles a minute before replying. “I… I don’t know,” he told her shakily, “maybe a cabin of sorts? But… I don’t remember who was there with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugu’s eyes were sad and obviously wished that she could help her brother remember as she spoke. “So it was another dream with the mystery person?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kirito nodded, then shook his head, disagreeing with himself and making him confused. The boy leaned over, hunching his shoulders and cradling his now aching head in his hands, his body still shaking from the nightmare. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What’s wrong with me?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He asked himself, gritting his teeth against the pain erupting in his skull along with the frustration he was feeling and the deep aching in his heart. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why can’t I remember her?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He stopped short. “Her…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” Sugu asked, blinking at him in confusion before it clicked in her mind and her green eyes brightened considerably, “the mystery person’s a girl?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kirito nodded a little, “I think…” he said, speaking slowly and thinking, “I’m just not sure though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugu smiled at her brother and gently began to rub at his back, hoping to make him feel better. “At least it’s something right? I mean it shows that being around these people from SAO all the time is making your memories clear up some. You remember Sachi and the Moonlit Black Cats now and bits and pieces of the first few months, plus we finally have a gender to match to the mystery person you dream about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t choose to dream about them all,” Kirito murmured softly, thinking his mind was playing tricks on him went he felt something stir in his heart and could’ve sworn he heard footsteps down the hall through walls that were supposed to be almost completely soundproof. “I just… I feel like I’m missing something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kirito may not be able to see Sugu’s sad expression, but he could feel a little of the emotion emanating from her along with the frustration that she couldn’t help him. He took a deep breath to steady himself and moved away from her with a shaky smile, trying to get himself under control and making Sugu worry about him less. “I’m okay now Sugu, you can go back to your room. Tell Liz I’m sorry for waking you both.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about you apologize in person you dork,” a certain pink haired girl poked her head through the swordsman’s quarters, her pink hair in goofy disarray in the form of her bed head for this morning. Her pink eyes were amused despite her rather cranky words and she stepped into the room, pulling the door all the way open and keeping it open. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry Liz,” Kirito apologize with a smile, his smile still shaken up from his nightmare. “Didn’t mean to ruin your beauty sleep.” As he said that he waved a finger around toward his hair in the form of a cheeky tease.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liz gave him a grinning smirk, “this beauty’s always prepared to be a beauty,” she took the tease in her stride and straightened her expression into a more serious one. “Now get your butt off of that bed and throw on some running shoes and a jacket. It’s a little chilly outside.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kirito nodded and did as Liz suggested, having gotten used to getting up and running after a nightmare. Not that Liz ever came, rather her rather quiet friend Asuna ran with him, seemingly able to sense whenever he was up early from a nightmare. He could’ve sworn the beautiful chestnut haired girl had him under surveillance if Liz hadn’t told him Asuna wasn’t the type, she was just really kind and enjoyed helping others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on Sugu, we’ve got an hour before role call,” Liz told Kirito’s sister with a grin, “I’m looking forward to a few more zz’s, what do you think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugu glanced at her brother tying his shoes, her eyes lingering worriedly on him, her face coated in concern.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ready Kirito?” Asuna’s slim form emerged at the door, her footsteps softer than the average human’s, as if she was walking on a bed of air instead of the ground. The chestnut haired girl was wearing a white and red windbreaker with three stars at the collar, a sign of her ranking in her guild the Oath of Justice. Paired with the wind breaker that was zipped up to the collar were simple light grey yoga pants to protect her legs from the chilly morning air and her staple white and red running shoes. Her long hair was pulled up into a long pony, leaving the silky strands to sway and bounce with her movements. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kirito looked up from his shoes and stood up, casting his sister a reassuring smile before jogging toward the door, “yeah, let’s get out there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asuna nodded, handing him one of her bluetooth earbuds before turning and jogging down the hall, slowing her pace to match Kirito’s, which he was grateful for. He had seen her sprint times listed in the records and while he was still inhumanely fast, she almost doubled his speed with ease. Asuna practically walked on air, seemingly unaffected by friction and easily splitting the air around her in the form of a lightning fast sprint. “Come on,” she gestured to him and took the lead as they escaped the main building’s front doors and cold air whipped against their faces, nipping at their nose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asuna lead the way in silence besides their music as they jogged at the fast pace around the left side of the sets of trails bordering and weaving through the campus for about ten minutes. Letting Kirito stew in his thoughts for a while till speaking up. “Don’t be hard on yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kirito shook the cobwebs of his thoughts from his head and turned his head toward her for a moment before looking forward again to make sure he didn’t crash into any trees again. “Come again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asuna patiently explained it again, her expression as calm and peaceful as it always was whenever he saw her running outside. which she did pretty much all free time every day besides hanging out with Liz and the two Kirigaya siblings. “Don’t be so hard on yourself for not remembering the subject of your dreams,” she explained in that calm even voice of hers. “Our memories are faulty and that means we could be dreaming about things that our brains were reprogrammed to bury deep in our minds.” She glanced at him and gave him a breathtaking but sincere smile, “it’ll take time for our brains to return to normal even with the correct stimulation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kirito had to agree with her, deep down he knew it was just a matter of time till he found his buried memories beneath the black hole that existed there. “I guess you’re right,” he agreed with a deep breath as they turned a corner and continued running, “I just have to be patient.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asuna hummed an agreement and kept running, her amber and blue eyes wandering around the landscape with idle attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kirito meanwhile was thinking about what Asuna had said. Was it really just a matter of time? What if it took years to remember who stood at his side in SAO for those three years and what about that younger girl’s voice that echoed in his mind? Was she here somewhere too? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have any particular memories of someone blocked too Asuna?” He didn’t even notice he asked the question till Asuna stopped abruptly, giving him a slightly wary look. He then blinked, “what?” He mentally ran through what he had been thinking, did he say something strange?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment the wariness in Asuna’s eyes vanished and she gave him a gentle smile. “Of course,” she told him patiently. A soft glitter of affection twinkling in her eyes for the one she was speaking of. The warm tones of her voice spoke of many feelings and memories although locked away, were unique and precious to the girl’s heart, spoke of her feelings for the one she was speaking about, “and when my memories return I know I’ll search for him again. Just like how he searched for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kirito couldn’t help but smile at her sincerity and optimism, “whoever he is is the luckiest player around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asuna laughed, “c’mon, we should be running not talking,” she started running at a soft pace, matching Kirito’s run as he followed suit. “Plus if anything it’s the other way around, after all, he saved me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kirito lightly shook his head in disapproval, his eyes twinkling with soft amusement. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Nah, the guy’s luckier Asuna. You’re too beautiful and special for any average guy in the world.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>If only he knew how right his statement actually was as he ran beside her, oblivious to their past together inside the games.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. My Baby Girl</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The children that went through SAO can't return to the normal world, not with the problems and differences that surround them.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Couldn't continue the chapter after this perfect ending XD</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“<em>Children</em>?” Kirito thought nothing else about the situation he was in could surprise him, yet once again he was proven wrong. “They’re bringing the child players here?!” He couldn’t help the panic in his voice. The panic that rose unreasonably up in his throat and make his chest tight with an emotion he couldn’t place. Or maybe he could but just didn’t want to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Liz spoke uncomfortably, looking rather uneasy herself from her position sitting cross legged beside Sugu on the empty second bed in Kirito’s quarters. “I’m not sure exactly why cause they aren’t bringing all the kids, just ones that other players raised…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that…” Sugu started speaking, her green eyes soft with concern, “is that why Asuna stormed out of your shared quarters yesterday?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Liz visibly swallowed and nodded, a look of pain emerging in her pink eyes. “Asuna only remembers me because I’ve been there with her since she emerged from a second game. There’s only one person she remembers without having needed a lot of pushing and reminders in the beginning and it’s a young girl.” Liz’s eyes looked a little watery as she continued, “Asuna remembers the girl she raised in SAO, who she raised from close to an infant to when she was separated from her at the end of the game and reunited with her in the second game only to watch her die in the second game. That’s where most of Asuna’s nightmares come from. It’s not like many of us who can’t remember who we’re dreaming about, Asuna vividly remembers holding the girl in her arms in the second game, unable to do anything but watch her HP drain to zero and watch her shatter in her arms.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sugu’s eyes widened, “why didn’t Asuna tell any of us?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She doesn’t want to burden anyone,” Kirito spoke in a hushed voice before Liz, his heart tight with concern and understanding even as he spoke. Able to understand the pain Asuna was silently carrying around and not wanting to burden anyone with it. “She’s in charge of an entire guild out here, in charge of their mental states and training them. She doesn’t want to appear weaker than her guild needs her to be right now as everyone figures out their memories.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Liz nodded thickly, “hit the nail right on the head there Kirito.” She looked at both of them, “Asuna always thinks of what everyone else needs from me, to you guys, to her other friends, and even to her guild. She talks to me about Yui, her daughter, because she can’t hide the nightmares and staying up late sketching out a picture of her daughter in the silence. If I didn’t share a room with her I doubt even I would know about Asuna’s pain regarding her family in SAO.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Her family?” Sugu echoed, glancing at her brother as she spoke, “Asuna had a family in SAO too?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Liz nodded again, pink eyes glistening a little, “yeah, there are nights where Asuna tries drawing them all but can never draw the other two no matter how hard she tries and how upset it makes her. All she remembers is she was married in the game to another player and together they adopted two players, Yui and the other girl who she doesn’t remember.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yuuki,” Kirito’s voice was a rather emotional croak, his silver eyes gleaming distant as his mind grew lost in his blocked memories and his search for them all. His search for his family just like Asuna was searching for hers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sugu looked sharply at Kirito, “who?” When she noticed the look in her brother’s eyes she pressed harder, “who’s Yuuki Kirito?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kirito looked at her, his silver eyes lost and confused, “I… I don’t know.” his voice broke, “I can’t remember who it is…” Tears burned at his throat and the corners of his eyes, “I can’t remember Sugu.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The morning run with Asuna the next morning was more tense than Kirito had thought it would’ve been but in a way he wasn’t surprised. Asuna was completely lost in her own thoughts, oblivious to the world around her beyond muscle memory and stopping when she heard his breathing get too uneven at her faster pace than normal. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The chestnut haired girl’s eyes were distant, no doubt thinking about today’s arrival of the children players that should begin right after their run. Kirito knew she wasn’t even sure if Yui, her daughter, would even be there after witnessing her death in the second game, she was trapped in and it riddled Asuna with pain and fragile hope. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wished he could do something to make her feel better, but he wasn’t much better himself. Last night’s nightmare had shaken him up to the point of spending ten minutes throwing up. Having seen his mystery person die once again in his dreams. However, he also knew at least on some conscious level who Yuuki was. Yuuki was the name of his daughter, a player with bright pinkish hued amber eyes and long black hair with a sunny attitude and a love for learning. But even if he remembered her, would she remember him too?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So being mindful of Asuna’s turbulent thoughts and mind Kirito kept quiet, his anticipation and fear getting closer by the second as they finished their loop at the front building. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With perfect timing as everyone was already gathered together at the front and one of the shuttle vans were parked in front of them all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Here goes nothing,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kirito thought shakily to himself as he and Asuna slowed to a stop next to Liz and Sugu. E</span>
  <em>
    <span>ven if she doesn’t remember me I need to at least just see her again, I need to make sure she’s healthy and safe even if she doesn’t remember me.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a moment Kirito felt something wrap around two of his fingers and he looked down to find Asuna’s index and middle fingers wrapped anxiously around his ring and pinkie finger as the children spilled from the van, essembling in a large semi scared group. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>It’s okay Asuna,” Kirito couldn’t help but laugh a little at the redness of her cheeks. “It’s not that embarrassing holding my hand is it?” He asked her in a low voice, his breath tickling her ear.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>If possible Asuna’s face got redder and she lightly squeezed his two fingers in a slight reprimanding manner. “Shut up and pay attention to Heathcliff,” she muttered, keeping her eyes fixed on Heathcliff’s holographic plans for the boss battle. Her sharp eyes picking out all and every strategy, flaw, and strength in her leader’s plan.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Kirito hummed with amusement but did as she asked, silently relishing in the comforting warmth of her fingers wrapped around his.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kirito blinked free from his vague memories, the memory of which vanished the moment he refocused, slightly shaking his head before gently squeezing Asuna’s fingers. Looking out at the parked van and not at her. He did however speak to her, “it’s okay Asuna,” he murmured, feeling inclined to say the words in that way, finding them familiar to pronounce as if he had said them before. “She’s here, just look for her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asuna’s fingers tightened their grip and she breathed a shaky breath but did nothing else. Her anticipation and fear remaining hidden from her face as a name was called.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yuuki, raised by Kirito the Black Swordsman-” The staff member’s word were cut off by the yell of a small child who pushed through the other children.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mama!” Dark silver eyes fixated on Asuna accompanied by long black hair, fair skin similar in color to Asuna’s, and a lanky build for her young age. The child was wearing a pink sweater and brown skirt with brown ankle boots, and Kirito knew who it was purely by the sudden sob that escaped Asuna’s throat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Asuna instantly took to her knees and released Kirito’s fingers, opening her arms for the small girl who was breaking into a run toward her. Tears shone in Asuna’s eyes, tears of relief and motherly love. It was like a massive weight had been lifted from the caramel haired girl’s slender shoulders at the sight of her SAO child perfectly safe and healthy. “Yui!” </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Lingering Longing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kirito is reunited with his adopted daughter Yuuki and listens to her stories about her mother, the one person neither of them truly remember. Then another character emerges from the chaos of SAO.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Yui!” </p><p>The young SAO Player collided with Asuna’s slender form, effectively knocking the young adult down onto her back while Asuna’s arms wrapped tightly around the young child. Her child, the girl she had spent nearly four and a half years raising in SAO and watched shatter with glimmering polygons was here. She was here in Asuna’s arms, safe and sound.<br/>“Mama!” </p><p>“Thank Aincrad,” Kirito could hear the tremble in Asuna’s voice, “you’re safe…” The commander of the largest guild in the SAO survivor group’s usual rather quiet and firm composure dissolving at the sight of her healthy little girl.</p><p>Kirito couldn’t help the smile that spread over his tense features before something else settled into his heart, longing. For a reason Kirito couldn’t explain, he possessed the brief urge to go over to them both and wrap his arms around them both before squeezing them tightly. <em> Why? </em> The thought brushed over his damaged mind, <em> why do I care so much about them? </em> Frustration bubbled over his smile, making him look away and adopt a confused frown, <em> Why does my heart squeeze itself every time I look at them? What happened to me in SAO? </em></p><p>“Eh hem,” The person standing nearby the van of children coughed into a closed fist before getting on with the rest of the event, “will the black swordsman please step forward?”</p><p>Kirito was jerked out of his thoughts by the voice and he hesitated. Would she even remember him? The memories of all SAO survivors were so messed up that would his daughter in the game even remember who he was to her?</p><p>A pair of slender hands pushed him firmly from behind and when he turned to look behind him he saw his sister smiling encouragingly at him. </p><p>“Go on Kirito,” Suguaha had finally got his gamertag down. “You’ll never know till you try,” it was as if she could read his mind.</p><p>Kirito swallowed hard and took a few more steps forward, each step seeming to last an eternity as the action reverberated through his entire body, accompanying the muted sound reverberating through his ears. <em> Please… </em> he couldn’t help but shut his eyes and hope, <em> please remember me… Please Yuuki…  </em></p><p>“Yuuki, you’re free to go.”</p><p>With his eyes closed Kirito could hear the footsteps of someone smaller than him and he heard them transition from a pounding run to a trott, the change of pace making his heart go up to be lodged in his throat. <em> She doesn’t remember does she? </em></p><p>However just a heartbeat later he felt small arms wrap around his back and heard a familiar voice.</p><p>“Hi dad,” the bubbly voice he remembered from his dreams of SAO addressed him in a happy but shaky voice, “remember me?”</p><p>Kirito let his eyes open to see the ten-year-old girl that he had raised in SAO staring back at him with a timid but determined and brave look in her dark pink hued eyes. She was a little different, with the same signature hairstyle from SAO but instead of her long hair being the natural black it was in the beginning of the game, it was it’s mid-game deep purple. The only thing she was really missing was the signature bandana she had tied around her head. The bandana Kirito knew her mother had given her.</p><p>“Like I could forget you Yuuki,” Kirito breathed in a shaky laugh and hugged the young girl close, feeling her shaking in relief in his embrace.</p><p>“Thank goodness…” Yuuki giggled, “that wasn’t fair dad, you scared me!” and Kirito nearly squealed at the bone-crushing (even for a superhuman like Kirito) hug that came from the ten-year-old girl’s body. </p><p>“I scared you?” Kirito wheezed as he managed to pry her fingers apart so he could breathe properly, “I’ve been waiting for a whole week!”</p><p>“So? One morning is a really long time to me!” Yuuki retorted before she broke into more giggles and hugged her father again, gently this time. She nuzzled his shirt, “I missed you.”</p><p>“I missed you too,” the laughter leaked out of Kirito’s body like a leaky tap, leaving just the relief and the sense of fatherly love, “I missed you so much.”</p><p>The rest of the event didn’t really register to Kirito, too caught up in introducing Yuuki to his younger sister and having his daughter around. However, as they walked leisurely around one of the less used trails around the campus, something Yuuki said stopped him in his tracks.</p><p>“Mom liked riding on your shoulders.”</p><p>Kirito stopped, blinking slowly at the new information, “w-what?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “If you turn around I’m going to slap you,” Asuna told him bluntly but with a slight giggle. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Kirito rolled his eyes and dutifully kept his eyes on their two daughters playing tag in front of them. “I’m not Klein Asuna,” he snorted before raising his voice to speak to their kids, “Yuuki! Come back over here before you stray too far!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Doesn’t mean you’re a perfect gentleman,” Asuna pointed out as Kirito felt her weight settle on his shoulders. Before she added on to his comment, “Yui! You’re far too young to stray off into the forest!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Auh, fine! Coming dad!” Yuuki hollered back and scooped up her younger sister before heading back over to them. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Mom,” Yuuki explained, oblivious to Kirito’s whirring and confused mind. “Whenever she had the opportunity and we were all walking down the paths near the house she’d ride on your shoulders and tease you about being a knight’s horse.”</p><p>At the information Kirito’s heart warmed, “ah, she sounds like a wonderful person Yuuki.”</p><p>Yuuki hummed in agreement to his words and Kirito smiled, looking idly up at the blue sky as he walked. <em> I can tell Yuuki adored her mother just by the way she talks about her, </em> his smile waned, <em> and by how she cried hearing that I don’t remember who her mother is when she herself doesn’t remember who she was either.  </em></p><p>His dark eyes scanned over the glittering sun through the growing denser foliage, <em> one day I will find her. If only for Yuuki’s sake. </em></p><p>With that resolution in mind Kirito spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence between his and his daughter, “can you tell me more about her? Maybe it’ll trigger a memory or something.”</p><p>Yuuki brightened, “of course! Let’s see…” She thought about it for a moment, unaware of Kirito’s growing smile, “mom was a swordswoman and fought in the front lines like you and Klein, she was really powerful but you were my favorite to train with…”</p><p>Kirito listened closely, feeling an inexplicable warmth growing in his heart as he listened to his daughter describe what she remembered of her mother.</p><p>“… I remember the warmth of her hands as she brushed my hair every night and when I asked about you on the days you weren’t there she’d always tell me, ‘there’s things we all don’t necessarily want to do but they have to get done Yuuki. Kirito doesn’t want to not be here with us tonight but it’s something that has to be done…’”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You look tired Liz.”</p><p>Kirito couldn’t help but snort into Yuuki’s hair, much to her chagrin, at his sister’s comment. He was waiting with Yuuki and Sugu for Liz to finish Yuuki’s new sword, a replica of her original obsidian bladed sword.</p><p>Liz gave them a sleep deprived glare and slammed her hammer onto the anvil for good measure, making an ear piercing ‘Tiiiiiinnng’ before she put the hammer down. “I am tired, Yui’s nightmares are worse than Asuna’s and it’s hard to sleep when you have a four-year-old who’s up every few hours crying on top of your own SAO themed nightmares.”</p><p>Kirito blinked, “but Asuna’s fine, she does all of her normal guild training, intense front-line conditioning and sword training like normal.”</p><p>Liz’s glare fixated at him and Kirito could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up at the irritation on her face. “Asuna has sleep-deprivation training from SAO Ki-ri-to!” Liz snapped with her hands on her hips, “just like all you front liners, she can be up for four days straight without hitting her exhaustion limit unlike me, a normal blacksmith who needs her sleep!”</p><p>“Woah, relax, I’m sorry I said anything,” Kirito quickly apologized, “I forgot only the front liners have that training.”</p><p>Liz rubbed the bridge of her nose in a stressed manner, leaving smudges of coal and metal dust on her face as she did so, “SAO shouldn’t have had little children, especially ones as young as Yui.”</p><p>“Yui’s four right?” Sugu questioned, “so how old was she in SAO?”</p><p>“I found her when she was a baby,” Asuna’s voice startled everyone, especially Liz.</p><p>“Asuna?” Liz jumped and looked guiltily at her best friend, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like I was blaming either of you.”</p><p>Asuna held up a hand to stop her and lightly shook her head, “I don’t blame you for saying something,” her smile turned tired, “I’m tired too, but I’ll talk to you about that later okay?”</p><p>Liz nodded and seemed to try put it aside, appearing slightly awkward and exhausted.</p><p>Sensing the conflict going on in the room, Sugu spoke up, continuing the earlier topic. “You found her as a baby? How’s that possible?”</p><p>Asuna nodded in confirmation and took a seat down on the stairs of Liz’s personal workshop, “I found Yui when she was too young to even sit up on her own. I brought her to Agil after I completed a quest only to find that the reward was a helpless baby and we estimated that Yui was about five months seeing how she didn’t have any teeth and couldn’t sit up on her own just yet.”</p><p>“You seem to remember a lot about her in SAO,” Sugu pointed out, “maybe you memory’s coming back?”</p><p>Kirito shook his head, “that’s not how it works sis. I remember all of the details about Yuuki from back when I rescued her from the Liberation Army but I’m nowhere near being any closer to remembering the details of the game itself and the other people I’ve met in SAO.”</p><p>Asuna nodded, “having that person around you all the time makes you begin to remember more and more about them based of the small quirks you see and the emotional attachment you already remember of them. I remember Yui just fine including how clingy she was as a toddler-”</p><p>Liz snorted with amusement, “she’s still clingy Asuna.”</p><p>Asuna gave her a playful glare but continued her previous statement, “-but I don’t remember any of the other members of my family and neither does Yui. She remembers small details about her father but nothing that would really pinpoint who he is.”</p><p>“Speaking of Yui,” Yuuki spoke up, curious eyes on Asuna, “where is she?” The small child was good friends with Yuuki, spending most of her time with Yuuki when she wasn’t with her mother. </p><p>“She’s with Argo,” Asuna smiled at the child and looked at the rest of their confused faces.</p><p><em> Argo? Why Argo? </em> Kirito wondered blankly, and his confusion seemed to be mirrored in everyone else’s faces. <em>Sure she's Asuna's sister, but usually Yui's clinging to Asuna's hip.</em></p><p>Asuna gave them all a smile, “Argo sent me here to get you all actually.”</p><p>“Huh? How come?” Kirito asked her curiously, moving Yuuki off of his lap and standing up. </p><p>“Caylee’s been released.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Dad, who’s Caylee?” </p><p>Kirito’s dark eyes were focused intently on the gate’s entrance, picking out all of the details and waiting alongside everyone else for the hacker, but he eventually responded to Yuuki’s question. “Caylee’s a hacker from inside SAO,” he explained. His eyes instinctively drew toward Asuna as she gently picked Yui up and lightly bopped her on the nose with a loving expression on her face. <em> Why do I still feel drawn to her? </em></p><p>“... dad… Dad?” Yuuki’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts and Kirito looked down at her. “What does being a hacker have anything to do with this?”</p><p>“Caylee’s the only SAO player who took on a scientific career after the defeat of the hundredth boss who’s been released from the researchers in charge of the SAO players.” Kirito explained and glanced at Argo’s pacing form, “she’s also Argo the Rat’s right hand and according to Argo, her childhood friend.”</p><p>Liz butted in, “all of the science players were taken and split off from the normal players to essentially interrogate and figure out what they found out about Kyaba’s work. Until now I wasn’t aware they would ever be freed to be honest.”</p><p>“Oh,” Yuuki blinked and Kirito rested a hand on her shoulder.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it Yuuki, this is adult stuff,” Kirito smiled tensely at his daughter. <em> If only she knew… I hope Caylee doesn’t come out in bad shape. </em></p><p>Yuuki pulled a face but dropped the topic as a vehicle pulled into the campus’ main entrance. </p><p>Kirito watched grimly, prepared for the worst. After all, nobody knew what kind of stuff the science players were put through besides the group in charge and the science players themselves.</p><p>After a few moments the car stopped and a man got out of the drivers seat and pulled open the van’s doors, allowing the new group of survivors to spill out into the main area.</p><p>Kirito searched the crowd, looking for the tell tale curly hair and vibrant blue eyes. </p><p>“Didja see her Ki-boi?” Argo’s voice was tense and mildly strained, her accent leaking through her voice. “C’mon, c’mon… 'ere is she?”</p><p>“Not yet, I can’t see her through the crowd,” Kirito explained before he cut himself off, “maybe she’s not- I found her. She’s at the back, coming toward us right now.”</p><p>The seconds it took for Caylee to come up to them seemed to last longer than they should’ve, and when she was visible Kirito barely had five seconds to properly see the hacker before Argo hug tackled the other girl. </p><p>Caylee stumbled backward a few steps, “I’m so tired,” she breathed before Argo released her and smacked her upside the head in true lightning speed Argo fashion. That seemed to breathe energy into the hacker and she gave Argo a glare, lifting a hand to rub her head in the process. “What was that for?!”</p><p>“That was for bein’ dumb,” Argo retorted before she gave her friend a side hug and Kirito couldn’t help but snort, getting both information brokers’ attention in the process.</p><p>“Good to see you two dorkface,” Caylee rolled her eyes and leaned on Argo, looking as though she may drop out of exhaustion at any given moment.</p><p>“Same to you,” Kirito greeted the hacker with a smirk, “still got your brain intact?”</p><p>Caylee turned serious, “that and more.”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Asuna asked, walking closer to them, back from greeting her new guildmates. </p><p>“I mean I think I know what’s going on here. As in, <em> why we’re all here.” </em></p><p>At the words that came out of Caylee's mouth, a familiar foreboding shiver went down Kirito's spine. </p><p>Asuna looked warily at Caylee and covered Yui's ears, "what's your hypothesis?"</p><p>
  <em> "We're here..." </em>
</p><p>Kirito followed Asuna's example, "Hey! Dad, I can't hear!"</p><p>
  <em> "... to be a self-trained and sustained army." </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Caylee's my OC, you can see more of what she does in Lost Memories: Intelligent Laurels and later in the main story itself.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. So Close Yet So Far</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"I want daddy!" Yui unintentionally breaks Asuna's heart after a nightmare, effectively causing brief but intense damage to her psyche. Kirito grows closer to Asuna, their minds may not remember their bonds, but their hearts do.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Love isn’t something you can just take away the memories of <br/>and someone would forget.<br/>The heart aches in remembrance<br/>And over time<br/>The heart can cross bridges the mind alone can not. <br/>For that is the reason that love<br/>Is the most powerful thing<br/>In the entire world.<br/>Love is eternal,<br/>And it will NOT be forgotten.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em> An army, </em> Kirito sighed and stared up at the ceiling above his spot lying down on the floor between his sister’s bed and his own where his daughter was currently sleeping. His mind was too active from Caylee’s brief but intense run down of what she had managed to figure out while she had been contained inside the place created for science players to effectively sleep. <em> The players of SAO are only pawns for yet another master. </em> </p><p>Kirito rolled over onto his stomach, gazing blankly at the hardwood flooring, now that hurt. He had worked so hard in the game from what he had heard from other players about the memories that were still tightly locked away for him. Memories that were always just inches out of his reach, so close that his fingertips could touch them but he could never grab it. But of course once he escaped the two wicked puppet masters that forced him into the spotlight, Kirito still remembered how over time he had gotten more and more attention, he found himself trapped by another. </p><p>However, the difference between the two from before and the one now was that he was completely helpless. There was no identity for his mind to forget, no knowledge of how to fight this puppet master back, rather all there were were hundreds of holes in his memory.</p><p>Kirito didn’t realize he hit his fist on the foot in frustration till a pair of slender fingers wrapped around his hand in an almost protective manner. So he looked up to find slender fingers, a white and red outfit, thin but sword strengthened arms, small shoulders, and mesmerizing hazel eyes that slowly shifted colors to blue and back again looking back at him. </p><p>“Don’t do that,” Asuna’s voice was barely a whisper as she unclenched his hand for him, her fingers sending a sense of soothing warmth through his hand and up his arm with every touch. “You won’t be able to hold a sword if you damage the underside of your hands like that, Kirito…”</p><p>“I guess,” Kirito kept his voice down as well, watching her trace stress lines in his hand and feeling the knots there loosen with each touch of her fingers. “I’m just angry you know?”</p><p>Asuna’s fingers stilled before they wrapped around his hand and gently tugged him to his feet with a look of understanding in her eyes, “come,” she encouraged quietly, “we don’t want to wake them up if we continue talking.”</p><p>Kirito guiltily glanced between Sugu and Yuuki’s sleeping forms and slowly got to his feet. Where he instantly missed the gentle warmth of Asuna’s hand as she released in hand in favor of tucking her hands behind her back as she watched. He didn’t have to ask to know they were going outside, her own attire of white sweatpants and a simple but elegant off one shoulder short sleeve with running shoes being enough of an indicator.</p><p>And so he threw on his shoes and grabbed two jackets, from a mental observation that she didn’t have a jacket with her, and led the way for once. Asuna’s footsteps barely more than a whisper compared to Kirito’s more heavy booted footsteps that echoed throughout the entry as they walked. </p><p>Kirito nodded once to the player standing dutifully at the entrance, a safety precaution with child players here at the ‘base’ now, while Asuna greeted them.</p><p>“Good work Elicha,” she greeted the female lance user of the knights of blood oath, “the base is in your hands until I return.”</p><p>“I understand,” the lance user crisply spoke to her commanding officer, “send me a message if you return through a different exit so I am aware of your safety Commander.”</p><p>“I will,” Asuna hummed and her fingers shimmered before Kirito saw her toss some sort of brain teaser to the lance user, a manipulation of her inventory. Something only high level players had the energy reserves to use without draining themself. “The night is still young, take care to occupy the mind as you wait.”</p><p>Kirito couldn’t help but feel a little in awe of the rapier swordswoman as she walked past him toward the lesser used trail near the front of the campus. She commanded her guild with ease, like it was natural for her to be a distinct leader who in reality, led the entirety of the front-liners. </p><p>“You’re a good commander,” he complimented and apologized, “I apologize for not saying anything sooner.”</p><p>Asuna chuckled and Kirito mentally decided that he wanted to hear it again, “when you lead a guild for so long it’s almost like a second nature to do your best as their leader. After all,” she stopped and faced him, a cloud of confused concern adorning her gentle features, “everyone needs someone to look up to in times like these. Especially when the real truth hits them, so it’s my job to prepare them and minimize the amount of chaos and mental trauma that will hit them all when it’s all revealed.”</p><p>Kirito didn’t know what to say. Here was this young adult his age leading and protecting them all while he was still struggling to remember who he was. </p><p>“Come on,” Asuna smiled at him and pointed up at the tree she stopped in front of, “lets climb Kirito.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Come on Kirito!” Asuna’s laughter bubbled up into her voice as she slipped her hand into his own and headed toward the tallest tree she could see, “the view’s gotta be worth it!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Kirito apprehensively eyed the tree, silently glad their children weren’t with them or he’d likely lose his mind worrying to death about one of them falling and hurting themselves. “I’m not even sure if that tree’s still in the playable game zones Asuna, you can’t even see the top through the clouds.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Adventure and determination twinkled in Asuna’s eyes as she stopped walking to give him a heart melting smile. “It is,” she promised, “just trust me okay?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Kirito sighed but started to walk, “you know I trust you Asuna, my climbing abilities however… not so much.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna giggled, “says the guy that tried scaling a mountain and nearly killed himself testing fall damage in the early floors.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Kirito’s cheeks burned, “hey I was just curious,” he said loudly, covering some of her giggles with it, “there’s nothing wrong with curiosity!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Kirito blinked, the words making his heart contort in a mix of unexplained grief and nostalgia. Had he climbed with someone in SAO like this? Yuuki was never allowed to climb tall trees without her mother, her reflexes fast enough to catch her before she even started falling. “Mother’s Intuition,” he remembered her saying after lifting Yuuki from a branch right before it snapped and fell, but… he couldn’t remember anything else.</p><p>“Kirito?”</p><p>Kirito broke out of his thoughts at Asuna’s voice and her fingers just barely brushing against the fabric of his shirt sleeve. “Are you alright? You look rather pale.”</p><p>“Huh? Oh,” Kirito cleared his throat and mentally pulled himself together, “I used to climb trees with Yuuki’s mother and Yuuki,” he explained as he walked toward the tree, “just another blocked memory is all.”</p><p>When Asuna didn’t respond Kirito turned around to look at her and found her staring into the air where he had been, her gaze visibly unfocused. </p><p><em> Is that what I look like when I zone out? </em> Kiritou couldn’t help but wonder and cautiously approach her, <em> no wonder Sugu says I become a zombie. When a memory hits I just lose connection to the world around me for those brief moments, but I still can’t remember the memory’s details when my mind returns to reality. </em></p><p>“Asuna?”</p><p>Asuna visibly stirred and looked around her in a disorientated fashion before her eyes made contact with Kirito’s. </p><p>Making his chest seize itself into holding his breath. Asuna’s hazel eyes showed a rare vulnerability after what he had no doubt was a memory. She was scared, fear shown in those beautiful eyes along with a want to understand; frustration in a want, no <em> need to </em> remember; and a deep seated longing to remember those who she had loved in SAO. Asuna was still just a human, and Kirito could see that more than ever in that flash of unbridled emotion in her eyes. However he felt his heart twist as tears welled in her eyes as she looked away, still visibly disoriented and confused.</p><p>“Asuna?” He carefully held out a hand toward her but stopped before he could grasp her arm or touch her face. His fingertips barely grazed her sleeve in an act of rare unexplained openness on his part. He didn’t know why, but there was a part of him that wanted to comfort her in any way he can despite how awkward he had a tendency to be and how he barely interacted with girls like this. “Asuna… you’re crying.”</p><p>“W-what?” Asuna seemed to finally return from whatever her mind went to and she lifted a hand to her face, seemingly stunned to see tears lingering on her fingers.</p><p>“Are… are you okay?” Kirito asked a bit awkwardly but sincerely. “The memories are hard to recover from when they just hit you like that.”</p><p>“Oh,” Asuna gave a watery laugh and rubbed the tears from her eyes, “I’m okay, it’s no big deal! Come on, let’s get up this tree,” she said with a tear ridden but bright smile.</p><p>Okay, he wasn’t going to let her just blow it off or bottle it all up like that, not when she could talk to him about it and put her trust and faith in him. </p><p>Kirito caught her wrist just before she was to leap up with her high dexterity abilities about ten feet up the tree, “Asuna…”</p><p>Asuna looked a little startled, and Kirito could see some remaining tears still escaping her beautiful almond eyes and rolling down her cheeks.</p><p>Kirito looked at her, trying to convey what he was feeling without messing it up. “Asuna you don’t have to hide it all the time… bottling up the memories and the things you feel can make you sick…”</p><p>“I’m fine,” Asuna smiled at him, “it just hit me harder than usual, we can go back inside if you don’t want to climb anymore.” She gently slipped her wrist from his grasp and nodded toward the campus before she started walking, “come on, lets go.”</p><p>Some minor details clicked in Kirito’s head all of the sudden and he spoke, looking partially down at the ground, “you have nightmares all the time.”</p><p>Instantly Asuna stopped in her tracks, “w-what?” She breathed.</p><p>“You don’t let the memories roll like they’re supposed to Asuna,” Kirito lifted his head to look at her, trying to convey his plea to understand while speaking firmly, “you push them aside to take care of your guild and Yui, but what about yourself?” </p><p>He walked closer to her till he was standing in front of her and softened his voice, “what about taking time for just yourself?” He looked at her, “you and I are the top two in here in terms of the amount of memory blockages Asuna, I don’t know about you but I…” his voice hardened, “I… I want to remember them. It’s painful, I wake up feeling numb all over and feel confused and frustrated when I escape a memory while I’m awake, but… but how else am I supposed to find the memories I’m missing?” He clenched his hands into fists, slightly shaking and stubbornly blinking as a way to avoid possibly crying in front of the strongest person he had ever met. “I miss my wife, my other child, my family, my friends, and remembering the adventures that brought us together, and… it hurts because I can’t!” He blurted out, “it hurts so bad I want to yell and rage and break something and even tear my own heart out because-”</p><p>“-because it feels like you’re silently dying every second of every day,” Asuna cut him off with shaky words and Kirito slumped the fight taken right out of him because she was right, one hundred percent right. She had effectively stolen the words right out of his mouth.</p><p>“Yeah,” he spoke softly, “but I can’t, because I have a daughter that relies on me and everyone relies on me too.”</p><p>“I know what you mean,” Asuna breathed a deep breath and smiled at him, but her smile was wobbly and Kirito could still see the tears rolling down her face. “I…” she swallowed hard and gave him a smile, “I miss my partner in SAO,” she told him in a hushed voice before she swallowed again and shifted a little on her feet before she gestured at him, “you remind me of him from what little I can remember.”</p><p>“Well…” Kirito swallowed himself, “I don’t know if I am, but… but you can rely on me Asuna, I hope you understand that now.”</p><p>“Thank you Kirito…” Asuna breathed before a second later had a girl crying in his arms. Asuna had run to him and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face deep into his shirt and just sobbing. </p><p>Kirito’s first instinct was to flee, but there was another part of him, a bigger part, that wanted to let her cry, let her cry in his arms where he could protect her and she could feel protected. </p><p>So that’s what he did. Kirito carefully knelt down on the ground, pulling her into kneeling in front of him as he pulled a jacket from over his shoulder and draped it over hers. Silently shielding her from the pressures of the world they lived in before without consciously thinking about it, Kirito closed his eyes and pulled her close, cradling Asuna to him and wrapping his arms tightly around her slender body. </p><p>Before silently, without either of them really noticing, crystal-like tears highlighted by the moon’s silver light, rolled down Kirito’s cheeks.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <em>Asuna giggled, her long hair spread out messily in the grass while her arms slipped lovingly around his neck. Hazel eyes twinkling gently with love and peace while out here in the grass of floor twenty-two. Where they could just act like two people in-love instead of high level clearers and an adopted mother and father. “What took you so long asking me?” She hummed as she looked at him, her fingers idly carding slowly through the short hair at the base of his skull. “I mean I was going to do it if you hadn’t asked within that week most likely.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Kirito opened one eye and gave her a lazy glare from above her, his hands placed carefully on either side of Asuna’s head beneath her long hair. “Excuse me for being busy with helping Silica and Liz raid dungeons while you had a hundred guild meetings.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna laughed, causing Kirito to shut his eyes at the carefree sound, “I know, but it’s been almost two years since SAO started Kirito and we’ve been together with Yuuki for almost six months.”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> She gave him a playful glare, “sounds to me like someone was too nervous to ask me if you ask me.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Kirito rolled his eyes and opened them to look down at her, Asuna easily getting lost in the dark silver depths. “If I wasn’t nervous then I wasn’t sincere,” he deadpanned then smiled, which made Asuna’s heart flutter, “besides, I asked you eventually, you said yes, and now here we are on a short honeymoon without two kids constantly running around beneath our feet.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna smiled bashfully at him, truth be told she loved having Yuuki and Yui running around even though her apartment in Selmburg was much too small for two adults, a seven-year-old, and a toddler who was almost two and got into everything. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Kirito seemed to know what she was thinking, “I love Yuuki and Yui very much,” he explained and gave her a semi-awkward smile. “But the apartment’s too small and Yui’s a monkey whenever you’re not around Asuna.” He then leaned down and gave her a brief peck on the lips, “plus I get a few days of you almost completely to myself.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna gave a content sigh, her body melting into the kiss but also at the knowledge that she was temporarily free to be just Asuna. Today, tomorrow, and the day after she wasn’t the lightning flash or second in command, she was just Asuna. Just Asuna with her new husband taking a break so she could happily give him her undivided attention and receive it back in turn. “Same goes for myself,” Asuna smiled at him and tugged him down by the neck into another kiss, “I get the ‘totally emo’ Black Swordsman Kirito all to myself.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Aaeeh!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Kirito certainly got her back for the nickname as he leaned over and blew a raspberry against Asuna’s neck. Causing her to shriek with laughter and fight to push him away as he repeated it again for good measure before he let her calm down and instead hummed the floor’s background music where he also pressed short kisses to the side of her neck in a lazy content way. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna soaked in the affection like a sponge, comfortably lying there in the warm Aincrad sun and mild breezes with birds chirping with Kirito’s warmth on her left side, his arms looped comfortably around her slender waist and her fingers carding through Kirito’s soft fluffy hair.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Between Kirito’s lazy kisses and the warm sun, it didn’t take long for the girl’s mind to have turned to illogical and unhelpful mush. Her mind comfortably straying without any particular bindings or direction while she half dozed in the sun. Kirito’s breathing had deepened and his head was just resting at her neck now, his breath tickling her skin as he dozed in his usual ‘if I’m not doing something then I’m asleep’ mode. “I love you Kirito,” she hummed drowsily and heard a sleep garbled response, but she hadn’t really been looking for one anyway. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> How long had she been telling him that? Telling him her feelings of love, of affection, or companionship, and even of mild irritation when he was being an idiot, all rolled up into three to four words? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> However long it had been, she was determined to make the answer be ‘forever.’ Because she would do everything in her power to keep him safe, them all safe. Their little family in SAO that Asuna Yui held dear to her heart and would always come back to them. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Asuna groggily roused herself, hearing the sound of a sliding door along with a child’s cry. Which she instantly identified as Yui’s, and it meant she had a nightmare and was likely about to completely dissolve into hysterics.</p><p>So Asuna forced her tired limbs into movement and kicked off her blankets before she got up from the bed. She swiped Yui’s blanket from her bedside table and hurried down toward Yui’s room which was far down the hall. </p><p>The last thing she wanted to do was wake up Kirito and his daughter because Yui was fussy and didn’t sleep well on top of having frequent nightmares. </p><p>“Mamaa!” Yui’s footie pj clad form came toward her, the four-year-old crying too hard to really run properly. </p><p>“Sshh,” Asuna encouraged her to lower her voice with a finger to her lips before she squatted down and hugged her. Letting Yui decide if she wanted to be picked up tonight or just hugged and would go back to sleep. “What’s wrong honey?”</p><p>“Mamaaa! Mamaa!” Usually Yui didn’t cry this hard, or at least she’d settle down the moment Asuna picked her up or hugged, but apparently not tonight. She just wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and bawled into the sweatshirt Asuna has thrown on over her usual nightgown and now shorts; out of modesty with a guy living in the same place as her and Yui.</p><p>Asuna got the cue and stood up, lifting Yui up and cuddling her close as she bawled while she also tucked her favorite blanket around her little body. “Sshh, it's alright, you’re okay Yui,” she gently hushed her, trying to get her to be more quiet and to settle down some more while searching her pockets for her soundproofing remote and holding Yui in one arm. If Yui was going to keep crying she needed to activate the more advanced sound proofing, which would prevent Yuuki from being woken up by Yui’s crying, and possibly Kirito if he actually had his door shut for once. </p><p><em> That guy has a habit of leaving his door open at night, which makes it even more nerve-wracking to calm Yui down before she wakes him up. </em> Asuna sighed as she clicked the remote and bounced Yui just slightly, the action only able to be done through her enhanced strength and SAO stats. “Yui you have to stop crying for me to understand what you want,” she spoke gently to her daughter, holding her and rubbing her back while pacing a little. </p><p>She was so focused on her daughter she didn’t notice the dark silver eyes silently observing from the hallway of his bedroom, concern written all over his face.</p><p>“Mamaa!” Yui hiccuped, her embrace around Asuna’s neck tightening as she blubbered to her mother through her tears, “mamaa!”</p><p>“Sshh,” Asuna soothed, “mama’s right here honey, it’s okay…” hearing her daughter cry like this and repeat her name broke her heart into a hundred pieces. She wanted to help her, to make her feel better, but she didn’t know what was wrong and Yui was so distraught that so far she hadn’t told her what was bothering her.</p><p>“Mamaa I want daddy!”</p><p>
  <em> Clatter. </em>
</p><p>The sound proofing remote slipped from Asuna’s fingers as she completely froze. Her heart dropped to her stomach and twisted violently.</p><p>“I want daddy!”</p><p>Of course she wanted her father. The one thing she couldn’t help her get or show her.</p><p>Asuna’s eyes watered and she wobbled a little on her feet, completely unaware of Kirito’s tensed form as though he was going to rush in if needed. </p><p>“Daddy! Mama I miss Daddy!” Yui sobbed, breaking Asuna’s already fragile and damaged heart even more.</p><p>Asuna held her free arm out beside her. Stumbling backward till her fingers hit the leather of the couch and she collapsed on it, bringing her knees up toward her chest and hugging Yui tightly. She ignored the sting of tears in her eyes and tried to hush her daughter, “oh honey, I’m sorry…”</p><p>Yui buried her face into the collar of Asuna’s sweatshirt, bawling, “I want daddy! I want my daddy!”</p><p>Asuna let her cry for a few moments, lightly rocking from side to side while she tried to put herself together enough to effectively soothe and comfort her daughter when she missed her father and Asuna couldn’t just make all of the memory blocks go away. “I’m sorry honey…” she apologized, feeling like she had to apologize for not remembering the identity of the man that had helped raise her own daughter.</p><p>However, once she took a few deep breaths and managed to pull herself somewhat together, Asuna got to work being the parent Yui needed. </p><p>“Yui,” Asuna gently pulled her daughter away from her shirt through the crying, “Yui look at me.”</p><p>Yui kept balling and threw herself back at her shirt, crying into her mother’s body and Asuna had to strengthen her resolve. </p><p>“No Yui,” Asuna pulled Yui away again and gently sat her on her stomach, her small back resting back against her thighs. </p><p>Yui rebelled, crying and reaching for her in a way that Asuna knew she wanted to just be cuddled and held while she cried, but she swallowed hard and refused. She couldn’t just comfort her, she was Yui’s parent, not someone to just coddle her, even if it broke her heart she had to do this. “Look at me Yui, look at mama,” Asuna soothed and grasped both of her hands. The four-year-old’s hands were tiny compared to her own sword strengthened hands.</p><p>Yui cried, her crying broken up by her hiccups, but she did look at Asuna. Looking at her, through eyes that she knew briefly in that moment matched her father’s, eyes wet with tears and filled with a child-like misery that Asuna so desperately wanted to change but couldn’t. </p><p>She herself was shaking, Asuna realized as she swallowed hard once again and held her small hands in both of hers, fighting the trembling and trying fruitlessly to keep her eyes dry. </p><p>“I… I miss him too, and I love you so, so very much,” she spoke through trembling lips and took a second to draw the strength she didn’t have as she shut her eyes for a moment and pressed her lips to her daughter’s small hands before reopening her eyes. Finding her vision magically clear for the brief moments as she continued, “but Yui… I’m so sorry….” her facade broke, looking at her daughter through miserable eyes and trembles from her emotions with tears welling back up in her almond shaped eyes. “I’m sorry… I love you but…” her voice broke and Asuna gave a shuddered breath, tears spilling down her cheeks as she looked desperately at her young daughter, “I can’t bring him to you Yui… I don’t know where your father is…”</p><p>The clinking of ceramic against glass woke Asuna from her miraculously dreamless sleep. </p><p>“Mmph…” Asuna groaned, feeling her neck instantly complain from how she had fallen asleep.</p><p>“Morning,” Kirito’s voice was concerned and Asuna witnessed the concern first hand when she groggily managed to open her eyes and saw it on his face plain as day. “You alright?”</p><p>“M’fine…” Then her brain registered the missing weight that should’ve been across her stomach and chest. Which told her that Yui wasn’t where she had left her and her groggy mind panicked, “where’s Yui?” </p><p>“Asuna, give yourself time-” Kirito warned but she ignored him, mentally panicking.</p><p>She floundered a little, struggling to get up while her muscles screamed in protest and she uttered a pain-filled moan as she sat up straight. A hand immediately going to the back of her neck. </p><p>“Relax Asuna,” the new voice and reassuring hand on her shoulders made all of the stress and panic drain from Asuna’s body. </p><p>She managed to look up, feeling a migraine announcing itself behind her eyes and sinuses from the whole incident with Yui, but mostly ignored it as she smiled at them. She slouched a little and gave her a tired smile of relief through her migraine. “Liz, thank Aincrad.” </p><p>Her tired eyes went from Liz to the sleepy-looking four-year-old in Liz’s left arm dressed in a white shirt and brown shorts with folded edges and a pink hoodie. Liz had brushed her hair, woken her up, gotten the drowsy girl into clean clothes as Asuna could tell, and she could make an educated guess that Liz hadn’t fed her, which Asuna was thankful for. She loved cooking for her daughter, more so in this distorted version of IRL than in SAO. </p><p>“Thank Kirito,” Liz gestured a thumb toward the young man who had slunk away to stand nearby but keeping a close eye on his own child. “He called me earlier and figured you needed some help. After all,” she adopted a mild teasing stance and voice, “the proud commander of the knights of the blood oath and the lightning flash doesn’t sleep on a couch in the worst position possible if she’s okay.”</p><p>Asuna blushed and rolled her eyes, “whatever Liz, just help me get off of this couch.” Her muscles were screaming at her just sitting up, locked in place from her fitful sleeping position, but she would’ve been able to handle it if she hadn’t been running on very, very, mild amounts of proper sleep over the last week. Lots of secret ten-minute naps in her office or when Yui was down for the rare nap, which didn’t happen often and hiding in the trees that bordered the base. While she was definitely now a master of sleeping sitting straight up and not moving, she still didn’t sleep much around Yui’s nightly nightmares.</p><p>“Just be careful,” Liz obediently held a hand out to Asuna, “move too quickly Mrs. Sleep-Deprived and it may make you collapse on us.”</p><p>Asuna gratefully took Liz’s hand and slowly stood up, grimacing the whole way up and flinching when her neck popped rather loudly. “I need to get ready for leading the drills-”</p><p>Kirito approached her, his ten-year-old bouncing around his feet tugging boredly on his sword sheath straps, “I’m capable of leading them, Asuna.” His dark silver eyes were stubborn and clearly he was determined to get his way here. “Yuuki’s been begging me to take her to watch them anyway and you need a break. Let me switch in for you…”</p><p>Asuna’s gaze unfocused, a memory hitting her unusually unguarded mind.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Asuna behind you!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna didn’t turn around, instead her sword glowed a soft pink, “switch!” She then shot forward into another enemy at nearly the speed of light. One-hit KOing the small creature and decimating it’s companions while she heard the activation of another sword skill from behind her. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Raargh!” Kirito shouted before as the creature vanished and Asuna walked backward, their footsteps clinking on the marble beneath them before her back hit his and they held their swords out in front of him.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Watch my back,” Asuna told him as she lifted her sword. The silver blade twirling through the dim lighting till it was level with her left ear and pointed directly at the main boss. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I’m right behind you,” Kirito replied simply, and Asuna understood it perfectly as they both sprinted off toward their respective enemies. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> They rarely spoke, their communication formed and executed without words through their fight. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> That always looked like a dance, a sword dance of black and white. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“...the drills.”</p><p>“... ahead Kirito,” Liz’s voice and hand on her shoulder broke Asuna from the memory’s firm grasp. “I’ll keep an eye on her. It’s visiting day for her anyway so it’s going to be a long day.”</p><p>Asuna blearily refocused, completely missing most of Kirito’s sentence due to the memory that had engulfed her tired system for a few moments. </p><p>Asuna vaguely register a mildly concerned glance from Kirito before he spoke up, “come on Yuuki,” he gestured to his daughter and headed off.</p><p>Liz gave Asuna a sad smile as Kirito’s footsteps and Yuuki’s excited babbling faded and  Asuna heard her put Yui down on the couch before she felt her wrap her arms comfortingly around her. “Aincrad Asuna, I’m so sorry.”</p><p>Asuna almost numbly lifted her arms and paused, another memory smashing through her delicate mental barriers. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Honestly Asuna,” Liz snorted into her coffee mug from where she was sitting comfortably on the couch in Asuna’s apartment with her feet propped up on the coffee table. “You two have been virtually stuck to each other by the hip since before I met you and he still hasn’t proposed to you.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna sighed and adjusted her hold on the sleeping baby in her arms. “We’ve only been dating for six months, and even then that’s including the two weeks Argo had us pretending we were dating for publicity purposes before we actually started dating.” Yui stirred in her arms as Asuna moved, the eighteen-month-old child had been asleep for close to ten minutes, taking her nap in Asuna’s arms today instead of asleep in her room, which Asuna didn’t mind.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Yesterday had been a long day, clearing out the forty-eighth floor’s dungeon and then she scrambled to get a full team ready fast enough to take on the boss to protect a group of players that had wandered inside. They had all made it out, every last person, but it had taken a lot out of Asuna. After all she had spend an hour fighting the boss one on one while she ordered her team split up and protect the weaker players till Kirito and other reinforcements had arrived.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> So when she had woken up this morning mentally exhausted and unable to keep up with her usual standards; Kirito had firmly told her no dungeon raiding guild order or not while he went out and helped some mid level players. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Liz rolled her eyes, “who cares how long you’ve been dating? Asuna he practically lives here with you in your apartment and you can’t just pretend that you two used to play that game of making us all believe you were together but weren’t in the earlier floors.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna blushed, “come on Liz, I was fifteen and it’s not like anyone assumed anything different anyway.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Liz gave her a flat look, “you’re sixteen now, how does that make a difference?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “It makes a difference because,” Asuna straightened up out of her comfortable slouched position and grabbed her own coffee mug from the coffee table, “I feel like I’ve aged a few years already. I’m pretty sure we all have, after all you’re sixteen too Liz-” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Sixteen-and-a-half,” Liz butted in with a smirk. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna rolled her eyes, “-and you own and maintain a full on business. I’m the second in command of a full army, and spend my days fighting with my life depending on the paper-thin tip of a rapier.” She took a sip of the liquid inside her mug before she put it down and smacked Liz’s feet, “and get your feet off my table Liz, that’s bad manners.” She then got comfortable again in the couch cushions. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “That rapier is state of the art weaponry thank you very much,” Liz sniffed in indignation but obediently removed her booted feet from the table before she gave her a smile and gestured toward Yui. “Don’t forget about Yui, You’re all she’s ever known, Asuna.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna looked down at the baby sleeping in her arms and couldn’t help but smile gently at her, “yeah, can’t forget about Yui now can we.” She adjusted her daughter’s blanket to be tucked more snuggly around her small body. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “You know…” Liz leaned further back into couch cushions and brought her knees up to her chest in a comfortable manner. “It’s kinda weird that despite the fact that you found Yui on floor ten way back in the beginning of the game, she really does look like a mix between you and Kirito.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I think it’s cute,” Asuna chuckled and brushed some of Yui’s bangs from her face, “she has Kirito’s eyes and hair.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> She looked back up at Liz, “plus if anything it’s more weird that we age in the game don’t you think? I mean, Yui’s growing all the time, Kirito’s hitting a point where he’s almost taller than I am, and Klein’s even more perverted as you and I get older.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Says the one with actual improvement,” Liz sulked into her cup. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna couldn’t help it, she started giggling, “Good... grief... Liz!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “What? It’s true!” Liz complained, “the only one who doesn’t see it is Kirito! I haven’t changed an inch and you have a good amount since the last time I saw you IRL before SAO!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I just turned fifteen a few months before SAO Liz, what do you expect? The human body makes changes slowly, not all at once,” Asuna pointed out through her fit of giggles, her body trembling out of sheer laughter.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Pfft whatever,” Liz sulked, “brag about it all you want you rich princess.”Asuna could tell there wasn’t any bite in the tease though. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna broke into full laughter, throwing her head back to laugh and Liz joining her till Yui stirred awake in Asuna’s arms with a complaint and snuggled closer to her mother’s body in an attempt to go back to sleep. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna bit her lip and covered her mouth, trying to muffle her shaking laughter while Liz bent over her coffee mug snorting in laughter. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The apartment door opened and Kirito stepped inside, her expression confused as he two the two awake occupants in the apartment’s living room. “What did I miss?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Liz just snorted harder into her cup. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Liz’s arms tightened around Asuna’s frozen form, pulling Asuna out of the memories again. “Come back to us Asuna…”</p><p>Asuna jolted back with a sharp breath and she felt her best friend pull back enough to look at her, but her vision struggled to focus, her friend’s worried brown eyes covered by pink contacts were blurry and Asuna could hear a faint hum of static ringing through her ears. </p><p>“Liz… I…” her tongue refused to work, making her sound slurred and unable to really speak.</p><p>“Asuna, focus on your breathing…”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Asuna!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘Where am I?’ Asuna wondered as she finally came around, hearing her partner’s voice bouncing around the stone walls. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Asuna!!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Asuna focus!” </p><p>Asuna barely focused on her friend and struggled weakly in her grasp, her mind disoriented and confused on what was memory and what was reality. </p><p>“Asuna! I’m here! I’m in…”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Asuna giggled as she dropped out of the large tree and landed beside her spread-eagled husband where she neatly folded her legs beneath her. “You’re such an idiot,” she told him through her giggles and leaned down to kiss him. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“Asuna! Listen to me!”</p><p>Asuna tried, she really did, straining her ears to fight through the increasing volume of the buzzing of distorted static and listen to what her friend was saying. She couldn’t see her anyway, her vision too blurry and unfocused for her to see straight.</p><p>“You have to…”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Mmm,” Asuna hummed against the kiss and slid her arms around her husband’s neck to pull him closer. She had to give it to him, occasionally ignoring guild duties had it’s perks. “I love you,” she hummed as he pulled briefly away. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I love you too, even if you overwork yourself all the time and leave no time for me,” he teased and Asuna shut him up with another kiss. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Someone shook her, and Asuna reached blindly for the person who did it, she felt blind, unable to truly see and focus her vision on the world around her. She couldn’t really hear anything but the thick static in her ears and the rapid uneven pace of her breathing. She heard herself groan weakly, but the sound echoed and distorted in her own ears.</p><p>“Asuna… br… you’re… breath…”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Daddy!” Yui squealed and both of them froze, Asuna staring at the almost two-year-old girl with her mouth just slightly open. She was too well trained for it to gape like her boyfriend’s was, but her mouth still fell slightly open. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Yui giggled and lifted her arms toward him, “carry me daddy!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Her boyfriend’s daughter looked proud standing beside the smaller girl and she puffed out her chest a little, “I taught it to her dad! Happy birthday!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Asuna whimpered, the sound abnormal and strange and could hear someone speaking but she felt like she was underwater, none of the sounds made any sense to her scrambled brain. She sagged, leaning hard on the other person while her stomach rolled, her heart clenching itself at the bout of memories she could consciously remember.</p><p>
  <em> “ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m gonna get you!” He was throwing Yui up into the air and catching her before blowing raspberries into her stomach.”I’m gonna get you Yui!” The toddler was half dressed in her pjs, dressed in pink pjs pants, and was giggling and squealing with glee every time he caught her. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna just watched from the doorway with a fond smile, peeking around the corner and watching him effectively not put Yui into her pjs while Asuna had been cleaning up the apartment and putting on her KoB gear. She watched for a few more moments, a rare wish of being able to stay home with her boyfriend and the two girls that drove them both crazy popping up into her head before she let it be. ‘As long as she’s asleep by eleven it’ll be fine…’ </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Asuna’s knees buckled and she felt herself be lowered to the ground, her own hands gripped tightly around the other person’s arms like they were her lifeline.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “What are you two doing?!” Asuna couldn’t help the shriek of pure panic at finding Yuuki sitting up in the RAFTERS of their new cabin when she got back from a guild meeting with her husband. What made it worse was Yui was up there too, the almost two year old girl mimicking her older sister and sitting perfectly still up on the rafters close to fifteen feet up from the ground.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Hi mom!” Yuuki greeted but Asuna didn’t pay attention, her brain in full panic mode. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Oh my god,” she couldn’t help the panicked rambling as she scrambled to find anything that would help her get them both down, sprinting around the cabin looking for anything that would help her get them down. “Oh my god, I have to get them down, oh my god.” Being a semi religious person, Asuna rarely did anything to break those rules, but when her two children were fifteen feet up in the air and Yui was barely two years old all rules went out the window. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “What’s going…” her husband had finally arrived, “what the hell?!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Language ____! Now move!” Asuna snapped at him and shoved him out of the way she backed up onto the porch. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Asuna couldn’t hear the name, the name just didn’t sound for her during the memory. “I don’t… I want…”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Really? You’re criticizing my language when our children ARE IN THE RAFTERS Asuna!” Her husband snapped, panic in his voice as well. “I’m going to kill Klein! He’s so f-freaking dead!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Yuuki giggled from where she was and both adults’ attention snapped to her. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “YUUKI!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Oh crap,” the seven-year-old said meekly and instantly slid off the rafters to land on the couch, effectively cushioning her fall before she bolted toward her bedroom. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Yuuki get back here!” Asuna’s husband sharply spoke the child's name, but Asuna was preoccupied as Yui moved to follow her sister’s lead, the toddler giggling at their antics. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna had never moved so fast as she had in those precious five seconds. She didn’t think, she didn’t plan, she didn’t think logically, she just ran. Running straight for the opposing wall where she ran part way up the wall and pushed off it. Propelling herself toward the rafter where her husband was now standing below with his arms open.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> However, Asuna caught Yui with one arm, before she fell more than a foot at most, and  simultaneously grabbed the rafter itself. Asuna’s fingers creating finger holds in the wood itself due to her strength stats and the insane amount of adrenaline pumping through her system.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Oh thank Aincrad,” Asuna breathed as she held the toddler close to her chest, just dangling there from the rafter. Her body was shaking like mad from the close call and the adrenaline while the unfazed toddler just giggled into her KoB breastplate, blissfully unaware of what would’ve happened if Asuna hadn’t just performed a super human miracle.. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Thank you mama!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Then Asuna’s cheeks turned red and her eyes narrowed. She was still wearing her guild outfit, a long white dress-like tunic and a pleated red skirt and… her husband was still standing below them. “___,” she spoke slowly, her voice rather frosty, “you better be still standing there because you’re waiting to catch me or so help me, Klein isn’t the only male that’s going to die today.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “O-Of course, ma'am,” her husband stumbled a little over his words, instantly treating her with extra respect out of what Asuna knew was guilt and likely fear of her anger. “Holding my arms held out with my eyes c-” </em>
</p><p>Asuna gasped, her chest heaving as the ice water trickled down her face to her head, the water enough of a shock for her brain to shut down the memories and jerk her back to reality for good.</p><p>For a moment she just breathed laying there on the floor, fighting to catch her breath and reorient herself as she looked around without really registering anything. She sat up, sitting side saddle on the floor and leaning on one of her arms. Her right hand twitched toward her left hip and when she looked over she realized as well that her sword wasn’t there either.</p><p>“I’m still working on Lambent light here,” someone’s feet came into view before their knees did and Asuna numbly looked up from the floor where her sword should’ve been according to the memory.</p><p>Liz’s worry pinched face came into view along with a small blonde’s with whisker-like marks in her cheeks and another with blue eyes and curly brown hair.</p><p>“I haven’t finished the handle yet,” Liz’s voice was rather cautious as if she expected Asuna to suffer under another memory, “forging the light but strong alloy took more time than expected.”</p><p>Asuna nodded and lifted a hand to her head, hazel-blue eyes searching around her. She was in the living room of her new home in the SAO survivors base. “Where’s Yui?” she asked, her voice was rough and scratched as she spoke and she grimaced before she pulled her sweatshirt shirt away from her body, realizing that the front was wet and damp. “And what happened to my shirt?”</p><p>“Yui’s with Sasha,” Liz explained, “I called Argo and she brought her to Sasha when you fell.”</p><p>“I fell?” Asuna wracked her still fuzzy brain, trying to remember what happened besides the memories still near the front of her mind. However she came up empty-handed, there were no memories of her falling down, even if it made sense seeing how she was on the floor now.</p><p>“As for your shirt,” Caylee butted in, putting the now empty cup down on the table, “I tried to get some medication in you to make the memory episode stop after the seizure stopped but you kept turning away, spitting it out and getting it all over your shirt.”</p><p>Asuna grimaced and pulled a hand through her long hair, feeling it wet from the ice water and grimey from what felt like cold sweat. </p><p>“Ya alright A-chan?” Argo’s thin fingers pushed some of Asuna’s long fringe out of her face, calculating brown eyes fixed intently on her. “You were havin’ a seizure or somethin’ when I got ‘ere.”</p><p>Asuna didn’t speak, letting everything process first. <em> I had a seizure? Why? Even if I have a memory episode like this it usually doesn’t do anything more than worry Liz half to death, not get Argo and Caylee involved to try and make it stop. </em></p><p>Asaun mentally shook her head to clear it and cleared her throat, feeling like her throat and mouth were full of sand paper. “What time is it?”</p><p>Liz cracked open the lid of a water bottle and slid it toward Asuna over the floor, “it’s twelve-thirty, we just missed lunch.” </p><p>Asuna froze, her hand inches from the water bottle. It was twelve-thirty? But didn’t she wake up at ten?</p><p>The look on Liz’s face confirmed it before she did vocally. “Asuna you’ve been out of it for close to two hours. I tried everything I could to break you out of it. I tried talking to you, hugging you, shaking you, putting Yui on your lap and having her talk to you, pouring normal water on your head, everything. But when you just started having a seizure I knew I needed to get someone who knew what to do.”</p><p>Caylee’s presence solidified Liz’s claims, because otherwise Caylee stayed in her and Argo’s quarters working on secret stuff nobody but Argo truly knew the contents of.</p><p>Caylee cleared her throat and Asuna looked at her, paying dazed attention to her, Asuna’s brain still mushy and disorientated. “Asuna the thing you just experienced is something we’re calling a “Memory Seizure,” she rolled her eyes at Argo’s snort, “I know, it’s such a cool name. Anyway,” she pushed her glasses higher up her nose, “I’ve only seen it happen to science players until now and the reason for it is science players have memory blockages everywhere and I mean that. Most of us can’t remember SAO’s events, people, our research and stuff like normal players, but it’s abnormal to remember your IRL family and friends as well. That’s why someone like me doesn’t have a visiting day, we're not <em>supposed</em> to remember anything really.”</p><p>She didn’t give anyone time to say anything about it as she continued.</p><p>“The seizures result from the microscopic electrical currents that are blocking memories from being able to be consciously remembered, but if something with enough strength happens that is only able to half overpower the currents then this happens. Seizures, memories you’re now mostly able to remember but with certain details missing, etc. These seizures are very rare and by the memory blockages numbers here in the base, I believe only you and Kirito the Black Swordsman would ever suffer under them if they happen again.”</p><p>Asuna nodded slowly, enough of the details registering for her to understand but a decent amount of it flying over her head due to how groggy and disoriented she felt. “How high is the risk that I will have another one?”</p><p>“Not very high,” Caylee reassured the swordswoman, “they rarely happen to anyone more than once so I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” She stood up and picked the cup up with her as she went, “as for what I recommend, seeing how we don’t have any trained doctors here on base, I recommend rest, supervision through the old buddy system, and try and mentally take it easy for the day.” </p><p>Asuna felt her hand on her shoulder and she looked up at her, not sure what her expression was showing.</p><p>“I also recommend Asuna, especially for you, to talk to Liz or Argo about the memories you can now remember.”</p><p>“Well we actually ‘ave a visit from our parents in abou’ ten minutes,” Argo admitted to Caylee and Asuna grimaced. She really wasn’t in the mood to deal with her unreasonable parents and older siblings right now. Well besides Argo, seeing how she was already here with her and wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.</p><p>“Seriously?” Asuna looked at Argo with a sigh.</p><p>Argo nodded, “I agree, it’s irritatin’.”</p><p>“Alright, well you two have fun with that,” Caylee walked over to Argo and leaned over, shocking the hell out of Liz and Asuna by giving the informant a casual kiss before she started to walk away. “Asuna practicing your sword as in practice swings and air fighting is fine-”</p><p>“Wait,” Liz stared at the retreating brunette while Asuna had her attention fixed on Argo. “Did you…”</p><p><em> What did I just see? </em> Asuna blinked, doubting her own vision. There was no way Argo, her older sister, got kissed by a girl Asuna had known longer than Liz.</p><p>Caylee ignored Liz, “just no guild activities, if somebody asks say it’s because I said so.” With that she was gone. Leaving one cool acting, but slightly pink Argo and two other shocked girls.</p><p>At Liz’s intense stare now on her, Argo narrowed her eyes at her into a rare sharp glare.</p><p>“Ya tell anyone ‘bout this and I’ll blackmail ya so hard Rikka,” her threat was emphasized by using Liz’s real name.</p><p>Liz held her hands up, “okay okay, geez, as long as you actually told us about it I didn’t need the threat to not say anything.”</p><p>Argo turned to Asuna.</p><p>Asuna shook her head, “what am I going to use it for? Liz’s the blabbermouth, not me Argo.”</p><p>Liz opened her mouth to defend herself, then just sighed and closed it as she stood up. “Whatever, lets just get up from this floor and eat,” she said as she offered a hand to Asuna to help her up.</p><p>Argo stood up and Asuna followed her lead, taking Liz’s hand in the process. </p><p><em> I feel like I’m in some weird dream at this point, </em> Asuna mentally groaned and hissed a little when her muscles protested in getting up. <em> Random memories that I can remember, missing two hours from my day, and Argo getting kissed are enough weird events for at least a week. </em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The next chapter will focus more on Caylee and Argo due to Caylee having the answers that the general cast don't.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Computer and the Rat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Argo's mind wanders around SAO and a certain hacker.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Do our parents know?” Asuna had to ask the question that had been bugging her as they walked toward the visiting area of the campus. The only area on the base that made SAO survivors feel like they were at and looked like a prison.</p><p>Argo didn’t need to ask for her to know what Asuna was talking about, “probably not. It’s not like ‘ey pay attention to little ol’ me anyway,” she gave her a smirk tinged with sadness, “Ima lost cause in their eyes A-chan.”</p><p>Asuna was grateful she understood without saying anything, it wasn’t that she was uncomfortable with her sister’s orientation or anything, rather it was a surprise thinking about how it didn’t surprise her. If anything Caylee’s was more of a shock.</p><p>However, at the mention of her parents’ opinion on the incredibly smart but also very playful and teasing blonde Asuna felt her heart squeeze, knowing it was true. Part of why she knew Caylee so well from before SAO was due to the fact that she had been Argo’s closest friend since as long as Asuna could remember. Close enough that Argo was at Caylee’s more often than their own home, and after a major argument now almost nine years ago the blonde had simply stopped coming home.</p><p>
  <em> “How’s Akira?” Asuna asked the brunette teenager walking quietly beside her. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Caylee’s reserved blue eyes looked up from her tablet, where Asuna could see some homework assignment displayed on it. “You can tell your parents that she’s well,” Caylee told her the same answer she had been telling her for a couple of weeks now as she walked her home as per Argo’s request.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I know,” Asuna sighed before she lightly shook her head at the thirteen-year-old girl, “I’m not asking for them though, I’m asking as Akira’s little sister, Caylee.” This was one of the few times that Liz wasn’t with her nearly the entire walk back. Usually Caylee simply walked behind them, absorbed her school work or some computer program on her tablet. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Caylee blinked and chewed slightly on her lower lip, seeming to study Asuna for a lie before she sighed and tucked her digital pen and tablet into her backpack. Effectively giving Asuna her full attention as she answered her question, “Akira’s complicated,” she explained in a mildly delicate way, “she’s stressed with exams coming up, but not enough for her attitude or anything to really have changed. She’s still upset at your parents. She doesn’t speak about them and frankly, I don’t ask. It’s none of my business what they were all arguing about, what is my business however is making sure she’s safe and relatively happy.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna’s hands clenched slightly around her backpack’s straps. Caylee didn’t really tell her anything useful, she just wanted to check on her sister not bring her back home. She knew full well that Argo didn’t fit in in her home and after that argument she wasn’t going to ever try and convince her to come back. Especially… especially when she did seem happier on the few occasions Argo popped in at the house. “Do you still live alone?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Caylee gave her a kind but a little smug smirk, “no, I live with Akira.” The smirk dropped a moment later however and Caylee tucked her hands into the hoodie she was notorious for wearing during school hours, Asuna’s parents always doubted her intelligence and wealth because of it. “Outside of Akira, yes, I live alone. Both of my parents are workaholics and live in another town so it’s just me and Akira in the house.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Asuna straightened her shoulders, her mind was made up, she was going to visit Argo. However, Caylee changed directions and it threw her off, Asuna’s house wasn’t that way, where were they going? “Caylee?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I know that look Asuna,” Caylee simply explained and kept walking even after Asuna stopped. She got ten feet away before she sighed, stopped, and turned around toward her, “do you want to see AKira or not? We have probably ten minutes before she leaves to go to the journaling club.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Oh, o-of course!” Asuna replied and hurried to catch up with the other girl as she started walking. </em>
</p><p>Asuna nudged the conversation away from their parents. “Caylee never seemed to be into romance or relationships really, how’d this happen?”</p><p>Argo chuckled, “if I tol’ ya, Liz would get mad Asuna, but Caylee’s really quiet ya see, so it’s kinda hard ta figure out what she’s thinkin’.” Her brown eyes glinted with something close to mischief, “unless of course ya watch her, and watchin’ is my thin’ A-chan.”</p><p>“You’re telling Liz and I when we get back, I could use a breather from the chaos of today.” Asuna chuckled and held the visitor complex door open for her shorter sister.</p><p>“Later,” Argo compromised and opened the door to the specific visitor room before stepping in after she exited the hallway, “Ima not interested in spillin’ my guts to ya two after dealin’ with our parents-” She stopped looking at something and Asuna followed her gaze only to chuckle.</p><p>Caylee was there, casually sitting in one of the other visitors' chairs in the room with her feet propped up on a table in front of the room divider. The science survivor had earbuds in her ears, but Asuna knew her well enough to know that she wasn’t listening to anything, rather she was listening intently to the world around her, and her new tablet was in her hands, a book open on the electronic device.</p><p>Their parents didn’t look pleased as they sat on the other side of the glass walled room, sitting on the visitors chairs. Usually there were uncomfortable chairs on the other side as well, but it looked like Caylee had bent a few rules and pulled from strings, getting a couch for Asuna and Argo.</p><p>Asuna just laughed and walked into the sight of the visitors, giving her father a smile and her brother a wave before moving into a low bow or respect for her mother. If she had more energy today she probably wouldn’t have bothered with the bow and seen if it annoyed her, but she didn’t, plus Caylee’s stunt had her in a good mood anyway.</p><p>Argo on the other hand bent over and spoke in Caylee’s ear just out of range of the normal humans’ sight. “Yer an idiot Caylee.”</p><p>Caylee didn’t bother replying out loud but Asuna and Argo could see her written reply in highlighter on her digital book. ‘No, I’m awesome. Button below the couch, press if you need to end early.’</p><p>Asuna fought to keep the smirk from her face, sure was nice having Caylee here after four and a half months of visits every week.</p><p>Once Argo elbowed her as she moved past, Caylee removed her feet from the table and pushed her seat back. “Now that your daughters have arrived I’ll take my leave.” She tucked her tablet beneath her arm and pushed her chair in, “have a good afternoon Ma’am, same goes to you two sirs.” She gave them all a bow of respect, through the casual hinted smirk, and left, closing the door behind her.</p><p>“I don’t think I’ve heard Caylee speak so formally before,” Kouichirou chuckled and greeted his younger siblings. “She’s usually very casual with everyone.”</p><p>“The smirk was uncalled for,” Kyouko huffed, “rather ruined the gesture.”</p><p>Asuna didn’t reply, but she did catch her brother’s roll of the eyes and her father’s silent wink, a gesture showing his amusement toward the brunette.</p><p>“Caylee’s not why we’re all here,” Asuna took the lead, sensing Argo’s mild irritation at just being in the room heightened by her mother’s snide comment. “It’s about all of us, our family right?”</p><p>When there was no response Asuna sighed and turned to her brother, “anything happen at Argus?” She saw Argo’s chin lift just a hair, a sign of her interest, and knew she had chosen a good subject to talk about. After all, the company was partially where her older sister came up with her gamertag.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Neither sister really spoke on the way back to the main area of the complex, not that Argo could blame Asuna. Her younger sister was shaking with what she knew to be a mix of hurt and anger, primarily directed at their mother. </p><p>Argo however looked completely calm, looked being the keyword there. Inwardly she was annoyed at the things their parents had said to Asuna. Argo was a lost cause according to her mother, being the epiphany of the worst example of what it meant to be a Yuki in her eyes, so her mother mainly ignored her presence. However that usually meant Asuna was the one who took a lot of the attempts of fixing her future and making her <em> normal </em>again. </p><p>Argo snorted, like they could make her and any of the SAO survivors normal again. Argo was sixteen when she dived into SAO’s death trap and Caylee had gone in after her, and even she had a hard time remembering what the normal world was like at this point. </p><p>She could remember the cities, sights and smells, but a lot of what it actually felt like was gone now. Replaced by memories of lush forests, exciting dark caves, cobblestone streets, pine cones, and the sound of Caylee chopping wood at her hand-built cabin in SAO which had been used as Argo’s information base.</p><p>A lot of people who visited the base misunderstood how much SAO changed it’s occupants and Argo was no exception. Sure she wasn’t a clearer or a smith, rather Argo was the source of all information told between people there. She, just like thousands of others, relearned how to live, had built relationships, friends, and families (did Asuna’s count as hers?) and essentially built an entire life for themselves there. It wasn’t something someone could just forget and undo.</p><p>“After that mess,” Argo spoke to her younger sister, “I’ll be over in an hour and a half for ya to pick my brain, this one’s on the house.”</p><p>Asuna blew an aggravated breath through her nose before she replied, “okay sure.”</p><p>Argo looked at her, calculating her body language, tone of voice, and generally picking out all the details she could. “Caylee wouldn’t mind makin’ somethin’ if ya wanted a break, I can brin’ it over with me. Caylee’s ‘robably gonna stay as far away from this conversation as she can,” she added with a grin, hoping to bring up her sister’s mood even if just a little.</p><p>She succeeded.</p><p>Asuna giggled a little, “I can cook, it’s relaxing, and I also bet she will.” Argo noticed that she still looked frustrated, and so being the older sister she was, she gave her a suggestion.</p><p>“Before I get ‘ere though, ya should go beat up the air with yer blade,” Argo lightly nudged her toward one of the outdoor training areas. “It’ll help ya calm down A-chan.”</p><p>Asuna offered her a smile, “that’s what I was thinking actually. I’ll see you later Argo.”</p><p>Argo watched her sister leave in the direction of the armory before she nodded lightly to herself and stepped into the first floor of the quarters complex. Hers was on the first floor, as an informant it was important for news to reach her quickly while in a panic, and that was why her door had a slot beside it for people to scribble something down and it would vacuum tube it to the otherside of the wall. Thereby protecting ‘the Rat’s’ privacy while also making information available.</p><p>If Argo had to guess however, Caylee was likely in her room, seeing how Argo’s was more of a living room and kitchen than a bedroom, from careful planning and mild manipulation to make the two rooms linked together. So naturally, she stopped at the room connected to her own, didn’t bother to knock and instead put her palm on the reader of Caylee’s door and stepped inside when the door slid open. </p><p>“Seriously, if the security system is malfunctioning again I’m going to-! Oh, it’s… just… you… Argo?” Caylee had half sat up on one of the beds in the room, her science notes spread out over the other one, and she trailed off.</p><p>Argo figured she could see the irritation on her face, seeing how despite how well she herself was at reading other people, Caylee could take one look at someone and tell you a rough estimate of what they were thinking. This is what she got for dating a psychology nut and computer nerd all put together in an intelligent but very reserved package.</p><p>Caylee didn’t say anything else, and frankly Argo wasn’t in the mood to stand there in the doorway and talk. </p><p>So she walked into the room, taking a brief glance at whatever the brunette had been working on as she walked, and flopped on her back beside her on the blankets. </p><p>Caylee shifted slightly and Argo could feel her blue eyes trying to analyze her, like they always did, trying to work out what exactly was going on in her head right now.</p><p>Argo rolled her eyes, “it’s not rocket science Caylee, I ‘an hear those gears in yer head turnin’.”</p><p>“Well I’ve known you forever, but yet you still manage to tease and fluster me,” was Caylee’s calm reply, “so I can never be too careful, even if I’m aware you’re not going to pounce on me or tease me right now.”</p><p>Argo groaned and turned away from her to cover her head with her hands, “my batteries ‘re depleted, visitin’ days should be banned.”</p><p>Argo heard the clink of Caylee’s tablet being put down before she felt her arms slip around her waist in a loose embrace, giving Argo space to escape if she decided to, not that Argo ever really did. “If visiting days were banned all around then I’d get my butt kicked for one thing, seeing how security and outside communication is literally my job, and there’d be a lot of players that would be heartbroken, namely Liz.”</p><p>Argo huffed and scooted closer to her while pinching her nose, “maybe… can ya make a rule for me?”</p><p>Caylee gave a heavy sigh and Argo could feel her breath ruffle the short blond hair at the top of her head, “even if I wanted to ban your parents from visiting you and Asuna Argo, I can’t, it’ll be an utter pain in the ass to do.”</p><p>“Why?” Argo asked, the question instinctual to her information gathering habits.</p><p>“It’s not really any of your business, Argo the Rat,” Caylee’s voice though was teasing.</p><p>Argo grinned and turned her head toward her, allowing her to see the taller girl’s freckled face, “information is my business, Caylee the Hacker.”</p><p>Caylee smirked back at her, “well sorry to say but this information can’t be sold so you don’t want it.”</p><p>Argo opened her mouth to respond, but Caylee’s digital watch beeped and she beat her to the punch.</p><p>“No but seriously,” Caylee said and pulled her arms away from Argo’s body before she rolled over onto her stomach and got up on her hands and knees. Where she then nudged Argo’s mouth closed via lifting her chin, “I can’t tell you,” she then leaned over and gave Argo a peck on the lips before she sat back on her knees and looked at her watch, blue eyes going from side to side as she read the tiny text there. “Just know I’d be busy for a month with it and wouldn’t be anywhere but the visitor’s center while I build it.”</p><p>Argo was silent, brown eyes focused on the other girl for a little while. Caylee had been back for two-and-a-half days, yes she was counting, but this was one of the first moments where they were together for a few minutes or one of them wasn’t passed out, namely Caylee, but she had figured out what the beeping on Caylee’s watch meant by now. The science player was being summoned to go work on something or other, and so she’d have to leave and keep the base functioning.</p><p>Besides right now Argo could really only remember one moment where Caylee hadn’t been called and had to up and leave, and that was when she first got there.</p><p>
  <em> Argo had almost given herself away when Caylee had finally appeared. Nobody remembered her and Caylee’s relationship with the memory blockages, so it had been difficult doing what she was supposed to do and keep hope without anyone else to tell her that Caylee would be back. Argo the Rat didn’t lean on people very often, but there had been moments where she had wanted to blurt it all out to her younger sister and cry in her sibling’s arms because she had no idea what Caylee would’ve gone through if she even survived to make it here.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Caylee’s cousin had given her minor updates, the few things Caylee said whenever he visited her, but otherwise she was completely in the dark on her health and whereabouts. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> However, when Caylee’s curly hair and blue eyes finally emerged from the crowd of science and newly released normal players, Argo almost, key word almost, ran at her and kissed her. Instead she had simply run at and tackled her in a hug before scolding her. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “You can let me go now Argo,” Caylee sighed and Argo had half a mind to smack or strangle her.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Ya ‘an barely walk, idiot,” Argo grunted and refused to release Caylee’s waist, afraid she would fall the moment she released her. “This is what ya get for given’ everyone a briefin’ when you look like ya ‘re gonna pass out.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Caylee stopped in her tracks, forcing Argo to stop as well, “look.” Argo watched her glance around the empty hallway before Caylee licked her lips in a nervous manner and the reserved hacker spoke. “I gave them the briefing first because I wouldn’t be able to get back up to do it till tomorrow, and…” her cheeks turned red, making Argo smile, “I wanted to spend some time with you. Just,” she smiled weakly at her, “keep in mind that I’m really tired.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo chuckled, “figures ya would do somethin’ and not tell me first.” </em>
</p><p>“What’re you thinking about?” </p><p>Caylee’s words stirred Argo from her thoughts, but Caylee had clearly noticed the staring even though she was still looking directly at her watch.</p><p>Argo shook off the cobwebs of her memory and rolled her eyes, “nothin’.”</p><p>Caylee rolled her eyes as well and sat up, her back to her as she pulled her long hair up with a ponytail. “Well if it’s nothing then I suggest you skedaddle to your messy space.”</p><p>“No,” Argo replied bluntly, “‘sides, what’re ya doin’?”</p><p>“Then don’t stare, cause,” Caylee replied as she pulled her t-shirt over her head and stood up, her ponytail swinging around her shoulders, “I have to change my shirt and get going to the tech room’s main console. Some idiot broke the main doors so we’re stuck inside until I fix it.”</p><p>Argo stayed silent, studying her girlfriend for a few moments. It had only been a few days since Caylee had actually gotten back from the science center, and until that point The last two times she had seen her were at the end of SAO before the boss battle of the Ruby Palace-</p><p>
  <em> “Ya ever gonna speak to me?” Argo’s tone wasn’t so much sharp as mildly annoyed with the brunette as she fiddled boredly with the edge of her shirt sleeve. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Sorry,” Caylee’s voice was raspy from disuse, not that Argo was surprised seeing how Caylee hadn’t really spoken much at all today. “Didn’t mean to upset you or anything by it,” she said as she turned her head toward her. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I'm not upset,” Argo replied, not looking up from Caylee’s sleeve. Studying the edging Ashley had done to give it Argo’s personal symbol. The tailor had gone ballistic back when she had heard the rumor, that Argo quickly quenched, about the two of them being in a relationship. “It’s jus’ odd.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Well outside of you and occasionally Asuna and Kirito I don’t speak that often to anyone,” Caylee pointed out and cleared her throat, getting rid of the rasp in her voice in the process.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Yeah, but ya always speak to me,” Argo replied. There were other things both of them could be doing for their separate positions in SAO, especially Argo since it was now dark, making it even easier to sneak around. She was here because she wanted to be with Caylee, not listen to her almost complete silence.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I know and-,” Caylee turned onto her side, pulling Argo’s fixation on her sleeve away from her. The moonlight caught her blue eyes, giving them a mildly ethereal and mysterious appearance that Argo always thought was pretty cool but her always active search skill made them almost a blue-silver. “-I’m sorry I haven’t been talking to you, I’ve just been thinking.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “No duh,” Argo rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but break character and smirk with the comment. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo could visibly see the relief in Caylee’s eyes and the taller girl groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You actually had me worried you were mad Argo, good grief.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo chuckled, “I am, but I gotta tease ya, yer reactions are the best.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Caylee rolled her eyes and lightly pushed Argo away from her, “ugh, enough of the teasing, I’ve been teased enough by you today! I really have been thinking though,” she suddenly switched topics and Argo immediately dropped the teasing. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Caylee was a very thought filled speaker, so for her to change topics on the fly like she just did she must’ve been really serious about something. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I’ve ran a hundred simulations and I know how to beat the last boss, information that I’m going to give to Kirito and Asuna tomorrow morning. But I also found something else out while I was searching the game’s code.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo’s eyebrows wrinkled, “whada mean?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I found information on a mechanical chip that gets embedded into the body at the upper neck,” Caylee explained quietly, “Argo I don’t think the abilities we have here are going to disappear when we get out.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Unethical biomechanics,” Argo breathed, the breakdown of information enough that she could understand it no problem.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Caylee nodded, and Argo only watched as she took both of her hands, silently holding them. Before she brought them up near her chin and continued. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I also found information that suggests players with science experience here in the game will be split up from the other players.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo’s heart froze, “w-what?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo finally noticed the tears swimming in Caylee’s blue hued eyes. “If it’s true then I have to go with them, I need to know what’s going on there so I can try and get everyone out-” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Hell no!” Argo completely disagreed, this was one thing she would never agree to. “No, yer not goin’ anywhere Caylee.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I have to,” Caylee replied, her voice close to a whisper. “I’m the only one with the game’s code logs on my home computer, I’m also the only one out of the science team who’s strong enough to handle anything. To the game’s logs I’m a quiet science player who specializes in teleport gates. Just important enough to get taken but not enough to be kept there forever.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “No!” Argo fought Caylee’s grasp, “no! Ya can’t do that to me!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I’m sorry,” Caylee refused to let her go, but she didn’t need do as Argo saw tears start to trickle down her face. “I’m sorry but I have to, I have to…” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo didn’t move, feeling numb and confused as Caylee broke into tears and buried her face into her shirt.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry Argo…” </em>
</p><p>-and when she was with her the day Caylee was handcuffed with special tech cuffs and was taken from her.</p><p>
  <em> “Hey, it’s okay…” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo felt Caylee’s forehead brushing her own and she tried to focus on her and not the racket that was going on outside Argo’s information tent had been going on around the temporary camp for SAO survivors for the past hour.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Sshh, it’s okay,” Argo’s hiccups rattled her body, but it was important she pulled herself back together. Argo the Rat didn’t cry and yet… Argo felt like all she had done today was cry and break down a hundred times. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Usually Caylee was the emotional one regarding splitting up or situations where they had no control over anything, but miraculously Caylee hadn’t faltered all day. The hacker had given her the implant in her neck that unlocked most of her memories (Caylee told her crying right there was normal as the memories flooded her system) and Argo knew Caylee had been up all night working on something she hadn’t told her anything about. But Caylee had been fine, acting more withdrawn sure but nothing else. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo saw Caylee briefly glance back at the tent’s entrance before she rested her forehead against hers again, Caylee’s curly bangs tickling Argo’s skin.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I’ll be back, I promise…” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Ya can’t promise somethin’ you aren’t sure about,” Argo retorted with a hiccup and hated how weak she sounded there. She wasn’t some weak girl so why was she acting like one right now? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Caylee smirked, the expression affectionate but teasing, “don’t worry about me, I’m smarter than all those doofus’ rounding up the science players like me.” Argo felt her fingers cup her face, one of Caylee’s thumbs brushing lightly over her cheekbones as she spoke in a sincere tone blue eyes visibly searching Argo’s. “I will get out of there and I will join you and Asuna. It may take a while, but I will get there, just trust me.”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo realized Caylee’s hands were shaking, a sign of emotion in the reserved and quiet woman. “K-lii…” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The ruckus outside was getting louder, getting closer to Argo’s information tent. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Just trust me,” Caylee whispered, “have faith in me Argo, because…” Argo saw her swallow, “if you don’t, I have nothing to rely on.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I… I trust ya…” Argo breathed in response. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Thank you…” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo closed her eyes when Caylee leaned in and pressed her lips to Argo’s. Argo already had the fine details of Caylee’s kiss locked away in her mind, but she found herself searching it all, looking for any details she hadn’t committed to memory in those few precious seconds. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Hey! Where’s that teleportation specialist?” Someone gruffly yelled somewhere outside. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> That was Caylee’s cue and they both knew it and pulled apart.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Keep a low profile,” Caylee breathed, her breath tickling Argo’s face with mint, “keep the other players informed.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo chuckled weakly, her hold on Caylee’s wrists tightening slightly, “my job is to sell and distribute information K-lii.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Caylee’s lips quirked into a hint of a smile, “then I’ll pay you for it when I get back.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Ya comin’ back is enough payment,” Argo weakly teased, and breathed a shuddery breath. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I need to go,” Caylee breathed and Argo shut her eyes, childishly wishing the problem would disappear if she closed her eyes.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo felt Caylee take her hands from her face and push something into one of her hands. When she opened her eyes to look at it she saw it was a tiny usb-drive, one of the smallest ones she had ever seen. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Caylee curled Argo’s hand closed around the usb-drive, her expression serious. “Protect that with everything you have. It’s the only copy of the SAO game logs and hidden game code secrets and I’ll need it when I get back.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo clenched her hand tightly around the device, “Ima protect it, I promise.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I love you Argo,.” Caylee briefly kissed her again, her touch feather light and hinting at a goodbye. Before she pulled back and pressed her lips to her forehead, “always remember that.” She whispered against Argo’s skin as footsteps quickly approached the tent and she pulled back. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Standing just within Argo’s reach and holding her hand with a loving smile.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I love you,” Caylee whispered, her fingers slipping free from Argo’s as she pulled away. and Argo breathed a few shuddered breaths to desperately compose herself. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I love ya too,” Argo whispered back and let her go, her voice shaky even though she knew she looked composed.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The pain that flashed in Caylee’s eyes nearly broke Argo’s composed facade before the pain was gone and Caylee’s walls were all up. A rather impassive grimace on her face as the tent doors flapped open. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “We found her!” One of the armed men shouted and prodded Caylee with his rifle, “get down on your knees with your arms behind your back!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Caylee didn’t resist, obediently getting down onto her knees and holding her hands behind her back while Argo could do nothing but watch. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Argo’s hand tightened around the flashdrive, she had responsibilities now. Caylee’s plan was just beginning to kick in and they were the only two able to put it into action. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> She made eye contact with Caylee as they roughly cuffed her and hauled her to her feet, treating her like a prisoner.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Caylee’s eyes softened for a brief moment before she gave the slightest of nods and mouthed, ‘I love you.’ </em>
</p><p>Caylee had changed during the time Argo hadn’t seen her, it wasn’t really visible at a level where other people would see it, but Argo could see it. It was hard not to when you shared a room with them at night and they’d flinch at a loud noise or have a hard time sleeping in general. </p><p>Caylee was even more reserved out around other people, and she spoke even less than she had before SAO with anyone but her. If she wasn’t careful when Caylee’s back was to her, Argo would startle her into something akin to a low level panic attack, and besides she herself, Argo hadn’t seen Caylee touch anyone or be touched without lightly flinching.</p><p>Argo’s gaze focused back to Caylee’s bareback, there was a scar going diagonally across her back and multiple smaller ones on her shoulders that she hadn’t seen before. <em> What did they do to you? </em> </p><p>Caylee hadn’t said anything about her experience at the science base other than, ‘it sucked and would give it zero stars.’ Normally Caylee was the one person who could withhold information and it wouldn’t bother her, but… when she could see physical marks on her body, Argo couldn’t help but feel more concern and worry than she already did. </p><p>Argo breathed out a heavy sigh and averted her gaze, giving Caylee some minor privacy while she tried to push the images of the light pink scars in Caylee’s skin out of her mind. Now wasn’t the time to ask her about it, not when she was about to run off and go fix the doors, even though she knew someone else could do it they just didn’t want to. <em> One day I’m going to write an article about how lazy the tech team is. </em></p><p>What she didn’t expect was for Caylee to speak up,“I know that sound.” Caylee paused her action of rifling through her drawers and looked over her shoulder at Argo, “that’s Argo for ‘I’m scheming cause I’m upset.”</p><p>Argo rolled her eyes, of course Caylee had analyzed the variety of noises that came out of her mouth. “Ima not schemin’,” she denied and instead reached for Caylee’s tablet, fingers itching to get out there and do <em> something </em> instead of just sitting here when Caylee was leaving anyway. “I think ya analyze too ‘uch.”</p><p>“Wouldn’t surprise me if I did, but Argo,” something soft would’ve collided with Argo’s face were it not for her superhuman level reflexes. The blonde caught what she quickly realized was a hoodie, before looking over at her girlfriend now in a typical science player polo-shirt that was white with two blue stripes down the sides and four golden stars embedded into the collar.</p><p>“I know you’re scheming about the laziness of the people in charge of the technology here.”</p><p>Argo let her nose wrinkle into a disgruntled frown, “only because they ‘re lazy and useless ta us.”</p><p>“They’re trying their best,” Caylee argued even as she stood up and walked over toward her.</p><p>“At bein’ lazy,” Argo snorted and held up the soft dark blue hoodie, “what ‘re I suppose’ to do with ‘is?”</p><p>Caylee shrugged and gave Argo a smirk that made her want to smack her upside the head or lock her in here so they’d actually have time to talk. </p><p>“You looked a little cold,” the hacker told her with the smirk before she swiped the tablet back from her and the sliding doors slid shut behind her as she left. </p><p>Argo rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at her when she left, before she looked down at the hoodie in her lap. Technically the only place she would even let the idea of wearing Caylee’s hoodie wander through her mind would be here, in the privacy of her own space. </p><p>Argo blew out a slow exhale and ran her fingers through her messy blonde hair. It was only one in the afternoon and yet Argo felt like she had pulled an all-nighter for information gathering in SAO. </p><p>Her heart gave a sting at the mention of SAO, she had information everyone else didn’t besides a select few and even more than that, she knew everything about SAO. Argo the rat had no memory blockages and it was information that wasn’t allowed to get out, at least not now. If the people controlling them all through the loss of their memories found out that someone, a certain someone, had managed to bypass their one safety measure without damaging anything to the person in question, Argo didn’t want to think about what would happen then.</p><p>Argo slipped her arms through the too large hoodie and gave herself a mental shake to clear it. </p><p>Now wasn’t the time to be reminiscing and stressing about the ‘what coulds’ and ‘what ifs’ of the future. She had an article to finish, an information hub to maintain, and a girlfriend to trick into coming with her to Asuna’s in an hour. </p><p>Argo couldn’t help the classic cheeky smirk that spread over her face as she finished zipping up the hoodie. Boy was she going to get an earful the moment they were alone again for this one.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Welcome to Lost Memories! This is an AU I've been working on Fanfiction.net for a while but I wanted more freedom to upload the separate one-shots and pieces I've developed for the story and so I came here.<br/>Let me know what you think! :D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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